After 30 years of marriage, he had sent her away and taken another woman into their home. In Uganda today, there is little a woman in Vanessa's position can do. Traditionally a man can have as many wives as he can afford.
Women have no possessions and depend totally on their husbands for their livelihoods.
Western influence has slowly begun to change the attitudes of both men and women, but this slow process sometimes leads to conflicts between official and traditional law. FIDA-Uganda has set up several legal aid centers for women. The clinics are run by female lawyers who offer information and advice for women in trouble. With the help of a weekly radio show, the centers fill daily with women waiting to tell their stories. Here FIDA lawyers attempt to reconcile the women and their men in face to face meetings, even if it means traveling to isolated villages high on the mountain.