Women in uprooted families.

This paper discusses how uprooted women and families resulting from war violence persecution or other human rights abuses maintain their family and community livelihood. Uprooted women are important resources for the future. Their strength and creativity even in terrible situations of uncertainty are used to rebuild traumatized families and to reconstruct their societies in the longer term. There are four roles that uprooted women play in their families and communities which include women as mothers as community organizers as reconcilers and as economically responsible individuals. These roles all affect the well being of the uprooted family particularly those children living with their mothers. However like all uprooted people women face problems as a result of their displacement. They face physical dangers in flight from their community stress in adapting to a new cultural environment questions about their identities guilt and worry for those left behind. With these situations faced by women much more effort must be devoted to the causes which force people to leave their homes and communities. The root cause needs to be identified developing and supporting alternative ways of resolving conflicts and community needs to think creatively in responding to potentially violent conflicts.