2016 is AdvocAid's 10-year anniversary! We're seeking your help to fund commemorative projects that support women's access to justice in Sierra Leone. We're fundraising for a Legal Aid Fund to help our paralegals & lawyers provide women with free legal aid; we'll paint educational murals on the walls of five prisons teaching women about their legal rights; and hold a number of celebration events including music, dancing and welfare packages in prisons, and creating a video of AdvocAid's story.
In Sierra Leone's justice system, girls and women are particularly vulnerable due to high illiteracy (average 2.2 years schooling) and poverty (51% living on less than $1.25 a day) - two issues that too often lead to women running into conflict with the law. AdvocAid has been strengthening the justice system and providing free legal aid to girls and women in Sierra Leone for 10 years. This is critical in a country where corruption plagues the justice system and legal rights are abused.
AdvocAid's Anniversary Appeal intends to celebrate our achievements over the past 10 years whilst looking ahead to continue doing what we do best - providing women with free access to legal advice, assistance, representation and education. AdvocAid's Paralegals and Duty Counsel Lawyers are based within the communities they serve ensuring there's regular contact for the girls and women we support, in turn preventing cases from being constantly adjourned, and women sitting needlessly on remand.
Sustainability sits at the core of this project, supporting women into the future. Provision of free Legal Aid will ensure poverty doesn't leave Sierra Leone's women as victims of a corrupt system; by painting educational legal murals on Sierra Leone's prison walls we'll teach current and future inmates about their rights once arrested; the creation of AdvocAid's story will raise awareness online, at events and among funders about the need for support in Sierra Leone and the power of our work.
