Legal empowerment offers something rare and beautiful: a strategy for pursuing justice that is working.
This process of equipping people to understand, use, and shape the law is not easy. We encounter corruption and steep power imbalances every day. Many paralegals face threats of retaliation. But despite these challenges, we are seeing real progress against injustice in every country where we work. And the Grassroots Justice Network is the strongest it has been.
How We Create Impact
In the Countries Where We Work Directly
Through the Grassroots Justice Network
Change from the Ground Up: 2024 in Review
Discover the stories of communities helping to build resilient democracies that can protect the environment and the rights of everyone.
Our Direct Country Impact
Throughout 2024, Namati and our partners in seven countries supported affected communities to remedy injustices and bring about changes to entire systems.
Our Network Impact
Namati convenes the Grassroots Justice Network, the world’s largest network of grassroots justice defenders. The Network builds power together and makes grassroots justice a reality by putting the power of law in the hands of people. In 2024:
What Network Members Are Saying
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The [learning exchange] was absolutely amazing. It helped me develop new ways of thinking of my work and challenges. It has connected me to many new people and networks who can benefit my work. I learned a lot about best practices and got new ideas from fellow participants.
Liesl Muller, Lawyers for Human Rights, South Africa
Citizenship Learning Exchange participant
As an organization, one of our challenges coming to the exchange program was how to build our legal support system. The program gave me a fresh perspective on how to handle the issues when I return back to the organization. [And] the financial sustainability session was amazing.
Bassey Bassey Ita, GREENCODE, Nigeria
Environmental Justice Learning Exchange participant
Getting all of these people together opens lots of ways forward…you don’t just see a textbook that tells you how it should be done. You hear from somebody telling you about the challenges they face and how they’ve gone about addressing them.
Hadeel Abdel Aziz, Justice Center for Legal Aid, Jordan
Middle East Regional Meeting on Legal Empowerment participant
This week has been confirming and empowering! I have never been more proud to be in the trenches doing the work of empowering people to reach their highest potential. They why is easy, but the legal empowerment course definitely provided the how!
Jhody Polk, Jailhouse Lawyer Initiative, USA
Legal Empowerment Leadership Course participant
Recognition
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Schwab Foundation's Social Entrepreneurs of the Year
The Schwab Foundation named Vivek Maru, Namati’s co-founder and CEO, and Sonkita Conteh, Namati’s Sierra Leone director, two of its Social Entrepreneurs of the Year for 2017.
Skoll Award for Social Entrepreneurship
The Skoll Foundation honored Namati and the Legal Empowerment Network with their award for social entrepreneurship in 2016.
American Bar Association's Legal Rebel
The American Bar Association named Namati's founder and CEO, Vivek Maru, as one its 'Legal Rebels' in 2015.
Ashoka Fellowship
Ashoka selected Vivek Maru, Namati's founder and CEO, as one of its fellows in 2014, stating "This is the best law-for-all program we’ve seen. It is brilliant. Very likely to spread broadly."
UKAid / DFID
The UK's Department for International Development gave Namati a rare A+ rating in their review of our work.
