September 2nd, 2021

JOB ANNOUNCEMENT/ Project Legal Officer

Lawyers of hope(LOH) is a Non-Governmental Organization with the mission to seek and reach out to the most vulnerable members of Rwandan Society, in particular Children, Prisoners, Women, and other needy people, to seek Justice on their behalf, and to share with them Christ Love and compassion.

Funded by the Royal Netherlands Embassy-Rwanda;

Through the Legal Aid Forum (LAF), LOH is implementing a project entitled LEGAL AID CIVIL SOCIETY FUND (LACSF).

The objectives of LACSF are to:

• Improve understanding of legal rights and judicial procedures for detainees in prisons;
• Increase awareness and access to legal aid for detainees and prisoners; and
• Improve the legal capacity of prison paralegals.

In line with the above background, LOH would like to recruit one (1) qualified Legal Officer, to serve the LACSF project in prisons, the post holder will report directly to the National coordinator and will be responsible for the day-to-day implementation of project activities in his or her working area.

Number of positions: 1

1. Key Responsibilities: 

• Provide accurate, timely, and effective legal advice to the beneficiaries;
• Advise beneficiaries on their legal rights and obligations;
• Organize awareness sessions in prisons;
• Referral of cases to respective institutions;
• Draft court briefs for detainees;
• Organize coordination meetings with prison paralegals;
• Maintain contact with both prisons and local authorities of the project working districts;
• Maintain contacts with the paralegals in the working prisons;
• Produce periodic report on the project implementation;
• Represent the organization in different meetings, seminars, and/or workshops related to human rights and legal aid in the respective areas of the project coverage.

2.  Required Skills and Qualifications: 

• Bachelor’s Degree in Law and other related fields,
• At least 3 years of experience working in prison,
• Varied experience in delivering training and other capacity-building initiatives on legal issues,
• Experience in working with detainees and prisoners,
• Proven ability to work effectively with diverse groups of people in communities,
• Excellent in reporting,
• Excellent communication skills with a demonstrated commitment to participatory approaches,
• Excellent written and spoken English and Kinyarwanda (French is an added asset),
• Ability to use ICT to access information and prepares reports.
• Ability to travel and perform field activities.

Interested candidates should send their CV, along with a motivation letter addressed to the president of LOH (Executive Committee) outlining what experience and skills suit you to this post, a certified copy of your degree, along with your full contact details, including mobile telephone number and two recommendation letters.

The application should be sent to [email protected]

Telephone: 0785247005

Application Deadline: Friday, September 10^th, 2021.

Time: 4:00 PM

N.B: “Only short-listed candidates will be contacted for written exam and interview.”