Legal Aid- Woohoo

I am putting together an application for a blogging competition and I took a look through old blogs. My sister tell s me to be more positive about the work that I have put out and my experience in Swaziland as a whole- not in terms of my enjoyment but in terms of my achievements.

So in reflection, I realise that there is a huge project that I have not written about. This project took up my energy for most of November and early December.

In Swaziland there is no legal aid. The Government doesn't have the money for it, and Swaziland is not a socialist state generally. At the request of a few legal persons in the country, I started to think about what the steps are for establishing legal aid. Step 1- what would legal aid look like, especially funding wise. In order to get that done there needs to be a feasibility study. So early November I began liaising like I have never done before, between the UN offices and the Government offices, in order to gain support for a study to be completed.

Fast forward mid December, right when I finished up working with SWAGAA. And the UNDP had secured a lump of money for a consultant to get the work done. Success.

I was then fortunate enough to interview for the position via telephone a few weeks ago. We shall see what happens. It is a hugely big deal for Swaziland. If the study is done properly- with as much support from funding bodies and legal professionals as possible - then the beginnings of legal aid will be-a-happening.

I am proud to be a part of that.
And would love to see it to the end.... for the number of years that it would take