Wonder

LEND ME YOUR FEARS
Sep 5, 2018 · 3 min read
The Wall of Justice Care Uganda’s Premises

I’m sat in the office of a Ugandan NGO called ‘Justice Care Uganda’ (JCU) in a remote town just outside Kampala (Ugandan capital), Toto Africa playing in the background and genuine African rain is pouring down to my right. This scenario may sound perfectly normal to you and may be an average experience, in all likelihood it probably sounds crazy abstract and unreal but there you are. I can’t quite believe I’m here.

I’m feeling wonder for a few reasons.

The first is that the organisation that I have agreed to work for over the course of the next three weeks is one that I admire a lot. Justice Care Uganda has a clear aim, one of bringing justice and equal treatment to all in Ugandan society. It is but a few years old and yet it is already making strides. It specialises in offering pro bono legal advice to Uganda’s least fortunate. More than that however, it also works with government at various levels to draft policies that fit better in line with Uganda’s own laws and the UN human rights charter. It also tries to encourage its clients to seek alternative dispute resolution to a conventional courtroom setting, through discussion and honest engagement with the other side. This alternative dispute resolution is emblematic of JCU’s commitment to defending human rights in the most effective way and not simply sucking its clients dry. It would be easy to harvest clients for all the money they can offer but JCU knows that every second it wastes on an easily solvable case is a second lost pursuing genuine cases that could change the way the law is enforced in Uganda and it is motivated by much more than financial gain, it is in this game to see justice.

And that leads nicely to my second cause for wonder, the people. The people here are just fantastic. Many of them come from very humble backgrounds but they have risen up and are now determined to ensure that more people like them can have the opportunity to enact change in Uganda. Fiercely passionate, the men and women who operate JCU are motivated to make things happen and they are making strides to do just that. Passion is infectious. Walking through these doors this morning after a one hour safe boda ride through terrifying traffic, I just knew that this was a place I needed to contribute to.

The third reason for my wonder is the opportunity that JCU has given me. After having spoken to the Director, it is clear to me that JCU is willing to show me the ropes at this organisation but more than that, to give me an apprenticeship in what it means to be a practising lawyer. This is really uplifting and encouraging for me because I do harbour ambitions of being a lawyer one day. After just a few hours, the signs are good because I’m engaged and stimulated by the work. I’m starting to realise two things, 1. Being a lawyer is cool because every case you receive is an interesting story and microcosm of human emotion and the extent to which we will lie to cover our own backs and 2. The law is about keeping people honest. People can operate as they please so long as they don’t take what isn’t theres, abuse what they shouldn’t and violate what isn’t theirs; honesty lies at the centre.

So, I feel wonder because I’m in a crazy place doing crackilackin tings, feeling stimulated by the work I’m doing and the people around me.

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