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Rwanda

LESSON

Lesson Learned: Access to Justice and Human Rights Education (Rwanda)

The project’s emphasis on training women paralegals was another key factor in sustainability, as the higher social status acquired through training encourages women to become more invested in their communities, thanks to the mechanisms for recognition and confidence building.
Project Partner
Human Rights First Rwanda Association
Project Description
The project’s general objective was to increase access to justice for marginalized groups among the rural population of the southern district of Kamonyi, including people living with HIV/AIDS and the Twa ethnic minority. The project document highlighted that access to justice in Rwanda was a privilege reserved for the elite: an urban prerogative that discriminates against uneducated, low-income populations living largely in rural areas. The project was built around three main areas of activity: providing direct access to free legal assistance, through the opening and daily operation of a Legal Aid Clinic in the rural district of Kamonyi; setting up a citizens’ system and strengthening local capacity to address judicial issues through the education and training of paralegals; and creating a responsible and solidarity-based dynamic where law students provided direct legal as part of their school curriculum. The project was highly relevant, as it was tailored to local legal mechanisms put in place by the national framework to reform and decentralize the justice system. Overall the project improved legal structures and services in the Kamnoyi district and contributed to greater justice at the local level.
Evaluation Date
September 2013
Theme
Country
LESSON

Lesson Learned: Access to Justice and Human Rights Education (Rwanda)

One factor limiting the relevance of the project was that the university law students involved in the Legal Aid Clinic were not individually graded. Their activities in the project ultimately had no impact on them obtaining credits toward their education or their law degree, thus reducing the relevance of the project to the students themselves.
Project Partner
Human Rights First Rwanda Association
Project Description
The project’s general objective was to increase access to justice for marginalized groups among the rural population of the southern district of Kamonyi, including people living with HIV/AIDS and the Twa ethnic minority. The project document highlighted that access to justice in Rwanda was a privilege reserved for the elite: an urban prerogative that discriminates against uneducated, low-income populations living largely in rural areas. The project was built around three main areas of activity: providing direct access to free legal assistance, through the opening and daily operation of a Legal Aid Clinic in the rural district of Kamonyi; setting up a citizens’ system and strengthening local capacity to address judicial issues through the education and training of paralegals; and creating a responsible and solidarity-based dynamic where law students provided direct legal as part of their school curriculum. The project was highly relevant, as it was tailored to local legal mechanisms put in place by the national framework to reform and decentralize the justice system. Overall the project improved legal structures and services in the Kamnoyi district and contributed to greater justice at the local level.
Evaluation Date
September 2013
Theme
Country
LESSON

Lesson Learned: Access to Justice and Human Rights Education (Rwanda)

The project could have further developed the printed support material and continued distributing it to paralegals so that it could be replicated and assimilated into other ongoing activities. The material should have been more didactic while maintaining a flexible format. The material should have been written in the local language with a more manageable length using clear examples and visual illustrations.
Project Partner
Human Rights First Rwanda Association
Project Description
The project’s general objective was to increase access to justice for marginalized groups among the rural population of the southern district of Kamonyi, including people living with HIV/AIDS and the Twa ethnic minority. The project document highlighted that access to justice in Rwanda was a privilege reserved for the elite: an urban prerogative that discriminates against uneducated, low-income populations living largely in rural areas. The project was built around three main areas of activity: providing direct access to free legal assistance, through the opening and daily operation of a Legal Aid Clinic in the rural district of Kamonyi; setting up a citizens’ system and strengthening local capacity to address judicial issues through the education and training of paralegals; and creating a responsible and solidarity-based dynamic where law students provided direct legal as part of their school curriculum. The project was highly relevant, as it was tailored to local legal mechanisms put in place by the national framework to reform and decentralize the justice system. Overall the project improved legal structures and services in the Kamnoyi district and contributed to greater justice at the local level.
Evaluation Date
September 2013
Theme
Country
LESSON

Lesson Learned: Access to Justice and Human Rights Education (Rwanda)

The grantee focused on upgrading the paralegals’ skills. This was based on their strategic vision of building human capital. The project sought to create a multiplier effect by training volunteer paralegals and law students who would then apply their knowledge and experience in rural areas to foster a better understanding of the law and the settlement of disputes once the project had been completed.
Project Partner
Human Rights First Rwanda Association
Project Description
The project’s general objective was to increase access to justice for marginalized groups among the rural population of the southern district of Kamonyi, including people living with HIV/AIDS and the Twa ethnic minority. The project document highlighted that access to justice in Rwanda was a privilege reserved for the elite: an urban prerogative that discriminates against uneducated, low-income populations living largely in rural areas. The project was built around three main areas of activity: providing direct access to free legal assistance, through the opening and daily operation of a Legal Aid Clinic in the rural district of Kamonyi; setting up a citizens’ system and strengthening local capacity to address judicial issues through the education and training of paralegals; and creating a responsible and solidarity-based dynamic where law students provided direct legal as part of their school curriculum. The project was highly relevant, as it was tailored to local legal mechanisms put in place by the national framework to reform and decentralize the justice system. Overall the project improved legal structures and services in the Kamnoyi district and contributed to greater justice at the local level.
Evaluation Date
September 2013
Theme
Country