Search Results for: open society

Namati’s CEO, Vivek Maru, has written a chapter for a new book: The International Rule of Law Movement – A Crisis of Legitimacy and the Way Forward. Vivek’s chapter is entitled Legal Empowerment and the Land Rush: Three Struggles.

In early August this year, the Chinese Foreign Minister visited Sierra Leone on a tour of the three “most Ebola affected” nations. A release from the President’s office stated that Mr. Wang Yi wanted to understand among others, the socio-economic needs and challenges of the country post Ebola and to discuss ways of advancing work…

Dear Friends, Law is supposed to be a sacred thread: that ties us together and protects each one of us. But for billions of people around the world the law is broken. It’s an abstraction, or a threat, or a really bad joke. Namati works to place the power of law in the hands of people….

Around the world, 1.1 billion people lack legal identity documentation, such as birth certificates, ID cards, and passports that can help prove their nationality or entitlement to citizenship. Without proof of citizenship, these individuals cannot vote, access health care, or go to school. Some are even left stateless or at risk of becoming so. Citizenship is…

Legal empowerment helped locals to understand and claim their rights, resulting in a legal victory for communities against exploitative corporations.

Research suggests that people, in their search for solutions to their justice problems, are shifting away from the State-backed Local Court system, to paralegal organizations

“This was a superb training and I’m deeply grateful for the opportunity to participate. The invigorating, compelling and inspiring content made this one of the best trainings I have ever attended. Being around a group of intellectually brilliant advocates was a true joy. This is the first time in many years that I feel proud…

In Memoriam When Nomboniso passed away suddenly in 2017, the legal empowerment community lost one of its strongest advocates and biggest hearts. Nomboniso contracted cerebral malaria while on a trip to Malawi, where she had been laying the groundwork for the African Centre of Excellence for Access to Justice. She passed away within days. Nomboniso…

To spur economic growth, the government of Sierra Leone has been aggressively courting large-scale agriculture and mining investments. These have often led to the exploitation of communities and environmental devastation. Namati supports communities to protect customary land rights, challenge land grabs, remedy environmental harm, and, if they wish, negotiate fair deals with investors. This Q&A…

Deciding whether or not to allow an investor to use community lands and natural resources is one of the most important decisions a community can make. Namati and the Columbia Center on Sustainable Investment (CCSI) have published two new guides to help communities prepare for interactions with investors and, if they so wish, negotiate fair, equitable contracts….