Venus lived in a shanty compound on the outskirts of Lusaka, Zambia, with her husband, five children and stepson Samson. Together they earned a meager income selling chicken and other wares from four stalls they owned at the local market. Prior to 2004, two of their children died. Then, late in 2004, Venus’ husband died, leaving behind Venus and their three surviving children.

Following her husband’s death, Venus’ stepson Samson took control over the marketplace stalls, cutting off the sole source of income for Venus and her children—their only means of survival. Venus was left with no way to provide for her children or herself, and soon, due to the dire situation, one of her three children died from malnutrition.

In February 2005, Venus took action in the local court against Samson and his relatives. After the court ruled in Samson’s favor, Venus learned of IJM’s work through the local YWCA and visited IJM in March 2005.When an IJM attorney visited Venus in her home, he found nothing more that a small stack of cold coals in the fireplace that hadn’t been lit for days. By this time, one of Venus’ two remaining children suffered from such devastating malnourishment that he could no longer walk.

After Venus explained her situation to the attorney, Samson was summoned to a meeting. When the law was explained to him, he recognized his actions were illegal and he promised to return the stalls to Venus. However, once he left, he reneged on his promise, taking away Venus’ hope for the restoration of her meager income. IJM staff took Samson to court on an appeal to the original ruling, and on September 27, four months after IJM met Venus, a court order was signed to compel the market stalls to be returned under the protection of Zambian law. The order further directed the release of all the equipment that had been stored previously in the two shops. This action secured an opportunity for income for Venus and her sons, now 17 and 12, who continue to need medical attention as they recover from malnutrition.

Today, Venus has two restaurants within the neighborhood market and works hard to beat the daily competition for customers. The steady income has enabled Venus to purchase a deep freezer for one of her restaurants and plaster the walls in her home to make it more habitable. The team in IJM Zambia reports that Venus has become a “pillar of encouragement” to other women within her community who are victims of property grabbing. Since her training on the Law of Succession at the IJM office in late 2006, she has had meetings with some women in her community, giving them hope that IJM can assist them in pursuing justice. She has referred four victims of illegal land seizure to the IJM office.