When a woman in rural Tanzania loses her husband, she often loses the family's income on the same day. At Shimu Mining Corporation Ltd. we believe the best answer is a job she can rely on. We are a women-led mining cooperative in Tanzania, and most of the people we employ are women, including widows who are now the only earners in their homes.
This article explains why empowering women in mining matters to us, what widowhood means for women here, and how steady, fairly paid work lets a widow support herself and her children.
A widow in Tanzania can lose her income, her home and her farmland at the same time. Tanzania's constitution guarantees equal rights to own property. In many rural areas, though, customary inheritance rules are applied instead, and they often give a widow no right to inherit from her husband (Thomson Reuters Foundation).
The result is that relatives may claim the land and the house, and the widow is left to raise her children with nothing to fall back on. Many widows turn to casual, low-paid work that changes from day to day.
Reform is under way. Tanzania's new National Land Policy aims to remove the customary rules that stop widows and other women from inheriting land (The Guardian, Tanzania). But legal change takes years, and a mother needs to feed her children this week. A dependable wage fills that gap.
In Tanzania's mining regions, a mine is often one of the few employers that can pay a regular cash wage. Small-scale mining drives much of the sector, and women already make up an estimated 25–30% of that workforce (IPIS, Voices from Tanzania).
The problem is the kind of work women are given. The same research finds that women in mining are often kept in insecure, low-paying roles and see little of the benefit. They face barriers to equipment, training and leadership positions.
So the question is not whether women can work in mining. They already do. The question is whether they are paid fairly, kept safe and given a say. That is the gap Shimu Mining exists to close.
Shimu Mining Corporation Ltd. is led by women, and most of the people we employ are women. We make a point of offering work to widows, because they are so often the only earners their families have.
Our aim is simple: a widow who works with us should be able to support herself. We do not want her to depend on relatives, on handouts or on us for anything other than a fair wage for a fair day's work.
A regular wage gives a widow choices she did not have before. It does not solve everything, but it changes the things that matter most day to day:
The effect reaches beyond one household. When women earn, more money is spent locally on food, schooling and small businesses, and girls grow up seeing women who work, earn and lead.
Empowering women in mining means more than putting women on the payroll. A job only changes a life if it is a good job. For us that means four things:
You can help us offer more widows a job they can build a life on. There are three practical ways to get involved:
Want to know more about our work? Contact us – support@shimucorp, or head over to our home page where you can read more about our work.
Yes. Women make up an estimated 25–30% of the workforce in Tanzania's small-scale mining sector. Many are held back in low-paid, insecure roles, which is why fair employment matters so much.
In many rural areas, customary inheritance rules mean a widow cannot inherit her husband's land or home. She can lose her income and her property at once, while still caring for her children.
A regular wage lets a woman pay for food, school and healthcare without depending on others. It also gives her savings, skills and a stronger voice at home and in her community.
Shimu Mining Corporation Ltd. is a women-led mining cooperative in Tanzania. We employ mainly women and offer work to widows so that they can support themselves and their families.
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