GW Students to Provide Legal Counsel in Tanzanian Villages | Schools

This story comes to us from Courtney Bowe:

WASHINGTON-The George Washington University College of Professional Studies (CPS) is adding a true distance-learning component to its curriculum. Three students in the school’s paralegal studies master’s degree program, Jamila Hussein Nandule-Cook, Yadi Sanchez and Audreona Duffin, will spend four weeks in Tanzanian villages providing paralegal assistance, studying Tanzanian law and legal processes, conducting research and sharing best practices with local paralegals and students. The students depart for the East African country March 17. “There is a tremendous need for paralegal services in Tanzania,” said Toni Marsh, Esq., director of the paralegal studies program. “The legal system is a complex mix of civil law, religious law and customary or tribal law. It is a daunting task to navigate this system without assistance. In a country of 40 million people and less than 1,000 attorneys, paralegals can provide the services that attorneys cannot. GW students will bring transparency to the system, imparting order and predictability, increasing access to justice and promoting the rule of law among Tanzanian citizens.” The three women will spend two weeks at the Legal and Human Rights Centre (LHRC) in Dar es Salaam, Tanzania, participating in an intensive orientation. They will then work in mobile legal clinics in various districts, providing assistance to locals on issues ranging from inheritance and personal property to theft and domestic violence. They will return to the U.S. on April 15. According to the Central Intelligence Agency’s World Fact Book, there are currently more than 41,000,000 people in the country of Tanzania, and fewer than 1,000 lawyers based on statistics by the Tanhanyika Law Society. Additionally, since 1931, there have been 1,135 lawyers in Tanzania. If all those lawyers were still alive and practicing, there would be one lawyer for roughly every 35,400 people. “I’m looking forward to making a difference in the lives of the women and children of my home country. Apart from poverty, I had no idea what the real legal issues were for the underserved in Tanzania,” said Ms. Nandule-Cook, 28, a Tanzanian native and second-year paralegal studies student. “I hope to learn how human rights law plays in place in an African country, the difference between the law systems in the U.S. and Tanzania and how we can apply some of the laws.” Ms. Nandule-Cook plans to use her experience abroad as a launch pad for a career in human rights and hopes to work with such organizations such as the United Nations or the International Monetary Fund. A first-year student in the program, Ms. Sanchez, 24, looks forward to relating to the locals through speaking their native Swahili, while Ms. Duffin, 21, couldn’t pass up the chance to provide aid in a foreign county. “It’s a once in a lifetime opportunity,” she said. Over the course of the fall semester, the three students studied the Kiswahili language, culture and legal system. In February, they met with the Honorable Mwanaidi Sinare Maajar, Tanzanian Ambassador to the United States, to discuss their upcoming trip. Development for this program began in 2008 when Helen Kijo-Bisimba, former executive director of LHRC, came to the United States as a guest of former Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice. While in the U.S., Mrs. Kijo-Bisimba met with Ms. Marsh to discuss ways that GW could partner with the LHRC to increase access to justice and promote the rule of law in Tanzania through the training and support of paralegals. According to Ms. Marsh, Tanzanians who are unrepresented, uninformed and marginalized can be victims of the system and often, when they do pursue legal redress, end up in worse positions than before they began their legal actions. She also said that they decline to pursue legal remedies that are or should be available to them. “The practice of law is global and our students should be prepared for work that is global in context,” said Kathleen Burke, dean of the College of Professional Studies. “An understanding of international law, related issues and a study abroad component can provide dynamic experience for our paralegal studies students.” The George Washington University’s College of Professional Studies programs are designed to fit the needs and lifestyles of adult learners and working professionals, combining the expertise of University faculty with that of outside partners including government agencies, professional associations, consulting organizations, foundations, and business and industry leaders. To learn more about The George Washington University’s Paralegal Studies Program, visit http://nearyou.gwu.edu/plx. For additional information on the College of Professional Studies, visit www.cps.gwu.edu.