The first day I arrived at the office of the Refugee Law Project back in May, there was no power. Computers could not be accessed to see the clients’ files. Reports could not be drafted. So we waited and chatted until it returned.

I am almost through with my time in Kampala, Uganda. My internship at the Refugee Law Project has been nothing short of excellent. It has been exhausting at times, but I have learned much from my colleagues as well as the ‘clients’ that come to our office for legal aid. And I have also seen the limits to that aid. First, there are the general resources. Often, as in the first day, the electricity goes and we have to run the generator (or get gas for the generator). Internet connection is pretty terrible, making any kind of research quite difficult. Picking up a phone and asking to meet with people is the best way to proceed. And there is of course the issue of transport. With 5 lawyers and even more counselors, and clients coming in and out of the office that require follow-ups in all parts of the city, sometimes you just have to wait until one of the drivers comes back (if he makes it through the jam…)

These are examples of a bigger picture that has perhaps been one of the biggest eye-openers for me. The resources and ease with which I can do things in Canada is much more difficult (and slow) in Kampala. That is completely understandable, but I guess what surprised me was that simple things (or what to me is simple) – fast internet, electricity – really slows down work, and I didn’t expect there to be such a discrepancy (although cables for internet have been laid accross East Africa and broadband should soon arrive).

Another prominent issue in effective aid I have faced – and I don’t want to sound too cliché – is being able to understand the other individual. There is of course the language issue (for which RLP has interpreters), but there is more than that. All of my colleagues have been to field visits to the refugee settlements and followed them through their status determination or helped them get their needs met (medical, housing…) When I first got here, I was so much less able to respond to the needs than I am now – after also having accompanied the refugees through some trials and tribulations. And I guess that is one of the aims of us doing this kind of work.

A final limit that has been very apparent is the nature of legal aid. Most refugees who come into our offices would like to be resettled to a third country, or have difficulty in accessing health care, housing, jobs – issues that non-refugees may face as well. Their difficulties may not be legal. The law, as it stands, will not feed their 5 children. And to explain the lack of capacity of the organization to provide that feels a little empty at times…

These limits are of course counterbalanced with tangible results. Simply, the results often come with many challenges.

Category: On location, Uganda // Add Comment »