At Namati, our people are our greatest resource.

Abigail Moy is the Managing Director of the Grassroots Justice Network, convened by Namati.

Since Namati’s earliest days, she has led efforts to build a thriving global movement for legal empowerment: one capable of innovating boldly and collectively tackling the greatest justice challenges of our time. The Grassroots Justice Network works to achieve this vision by connecting, strengthening, and expanding the number of community paralegals around the world. Prior to joining Namati, Abigail worked with access to justice programs in Africa, Latin America, and South Asia, in cooperation with the World Bank, The Asia Foundation, Fundación Soros-Guatemala, and Timap for Justice. She previously clerked for the Hon. David H. Coar in the Northern District of Illinois, served in the Office of the Legal Adviser at the United States Department of State, and worked in the New York office of White & Case, LLP. Moy was awarded a Fulbright Fellowship, graduated cum laude from Harvard Law School, and holds a master’s degree in law and development from the Fletcher School of Law and Diplomacy.

Selected Publications

• Community Paralegals and the Pursuit of Justice (Chapter 5)
  Community paralegals demystify law and empower people to advocate for themselves. They are at the heart of our movement for justice. But they have been largely ignored by scholars and writers. This book starts to fill that void…More »
• Grassroots Justice in a Pandemic: Ensuring a Just Response and Recovery
  Communities around the world are reeling from the repercussions of the COVID-19 pandemic and measures…More »
• The Case to Fund and Protect Grassroots Justice Defenders
  This policy brief offers recommendations for policymakers, donors, and multilateral institutions on how to finance and protect the grassroots justice defenders…More »
• A Global Legal Empowerment Network: Learning from Others, Growing the Movement
  This paper, from the annual journal Human Rights Education in Asia-Pacific, examines the experiences of the Global Legal Empowerment Network’s in supporting the work of members in Asia, and techniques for strengthening regional dialogue and collaboration… More »
• Justice Initiatives: Legal Empowerment
  The latest edition of Justice Initiatives explores the nature of legal empowerment and its impact in various forms. With an introduction by George Soros, the book includes… More »
• Taking Stock of the Justice 2015 Campaign
  As the 69th Session of the UN general Assembly approaches, Abigail Moy reflects on the progress of the Justice 2015 campaign… More »
• Kampala Declaration Calls for Support for Community Paralegals
  Across Africa, a movement calling for stronger national legal aid policies is gaining ground. Legal aid legislation, aimed at assisting those who cannot afford lawyers, is being developed or rolled out in several countries… More »

Aisha, a native of Kenya, has lived in Nairobi since 1985.

Her passion for justice, fairness, and humanity was shaped early in life, having grown up in a family of strong, outspoken women. This environment greatly influenced her dedication to advocacy, particularly for women and girls. She began her career as a champion for women and girls, working for five years in Northern Eastern Kenya with the Kenyan Somali community. During this time, Aisha played a pivotal role in empowering women and girls to raise their voices and pursue political, economic, and social inclusion. Notably, she supported the establishment of the first girl-led movement in North Eastern Kenya, which focused on advocating against harmful cultural practices, including Female Genital Mutilation (FGM) and early marriage. Building on this foundation, Aisha now serves as a Senior Program Manager at Namati.

Akhila Kolisetty is Manager, Grassroots Justice Network at Namati, where she drives forward campaigns to improve global access to justice and expand the reach of the legal empowerment movement.

Akhila brings years of experience in research, advocacy, and partnerships to advance legal empowerment, gender justice, and human rights across Nepal, Sierra Leone, India, Bangladesh, and the United States. Most recently, as MADRE’s Policy and Campaigns Manager, she partnered with grassroots women and girls-led organizations to advance feminist policies for peace and environmental justice. Previously, she was a Presidential Fellow with the Open Society Foundations and a Consultant on legal empowerment data, policy and research with the Open Society Justice Initiative and Alliance for Social Dialogue in Nepal. A lawyer by training, she has also provided legal representation and advice to low-income survivors of domestic violence in family courts in New York. She holds a JD from Harvard Law School and a Bachelor’s in Economics and Political Science from Northwestern University. With roots in Andhra Pradesh, India and New Jersey, she enjoys poetry, creative writing, and exploring our beautiful planet.

Selected Publications

• The Delivery of Civil Legal Aid in Nepal: An Assessment of the System and Recommendations on the Way Forward. Akhila Kolisetty and Neetu Pokharel. National Human Rights Commission, Nepal. Sambahak: Human Rights Journal, Vol. 15 (May 2020)
• Examining the Effectiveness of Legal Empowerment as a Pathway out of Poverty: A Case Study of BRAC – World Bank Justice and Development Working Paper Series (2014)
• Book Review – The International Rule of Law Movement: A Crisis of Legitimacy and the Way Forward – Harvard Human Rights Journal