LEV, legal aid to the poorest

Nadira GUNATILLEKE

Legal Empowerment Volunteers Scheme (LEV), a pilot project to be implemented to provide legal aid to the poorest of the poor was launched in Colombo during a press briefing held at the United Nations Building.

The LEV scheme will run as a pilot project between October 2008 and June 2010 with volunteers working in Batticaloa, Kandy, Anuradhapura, Chilaw, Balapitiya, Ratnapura and Colombo. The volunteers will be selected from the University of Colombo and the Law College through a competitive process and will be engaged in legal empowerment identified by the regional centres of the Legal Aid Commission.

The main development outcome expected of this initiative is progress in the legal empowerment of the selected target groups such as disadvantaged communities and marginalised groups including women, migrant workers and their families, elders and internally displaced people. However, the initiative will benefit the participating volunteers by improving their understanding of their own communities and the significance of legal empowerment activities.

While promoting the rights of various disadvantaged sections and marginalised groups of society, the LEV scheme expects to strengthen future professionals' commitment to legal empowerment and community engagement. It also is a significant opportunity for the volunteers' personal and professional development. If brought to scale and sustained over a period of time, this project could bring about lasting social changes among both the legal aid recipients and providers.

Chairman, Legal Aid Commission, S.S.Wijeratne, Social Services and Social Welfare Ministry Additional Secretary Yamuna Chithranganie and UNDP Country Director Dougla Keh and several others spoke. This is a VOICE initiative implemented in partnership with the University of Colombo, UNDP, VOS and UNV.