Models for Sustainable Legal Aid: Experiences from NGO’s in Five Lower Income Countries

Abstract

Legal empowerment is a substantial part of efforts of NGO’s in developing countries. We assessed the scope and sustainability of their efforts in giving individual legal advice and legal aid. To this end, we mapped the operation of five organizations supplying such services, as well as the broader setting of legal services in the country. We also assessed willingness to pay and alternative delivery models that are presently considered in these countries, such as paralegal programs using volunteers. We describe opportunities for NGO’s and governments working on access to justice to improve the scale and scope of their operations.