Omaheke San learning the ins and outs of law
EU-funded training programme
The training is aimed at enhancing paralegals' understanding of the relationship between community safety and access to justice, healthcare and education.
The Legal Assistance Centre (LAC), with support from the European Union (EU), held a five-day field-based paralegal training programme aimed at empowering San communities at Gobabis and Vergenoeg in the Omaheke region last week.
This training is part of a series of interventions coordinated by the LAC to strengthen access to justice for marginalised communities in Namibia, seeking to enhance access to justice and legal support in areas with limited legal resources. The focus is on building the capacity of trainee paralegals – community-based practitioners – who will play a crucial role in promoting community safety and ensuring legal empowerment in their respective San communities.
This series of training interventions supports paralegals in their work to protect and promote the legal rights of their communities.
The central theme of this particular training was community safety, with a special emphasis on the Vergenoeg San community’s experiences with community policing.
The Vergenoeg community has been successful in developing and implementing community-led initiatives aimed at crime prevention and conflict resolution, providing valuable lessons for other San communities in Namibia.
The training objectives included enhancing paralegals’ understanding of the relationship between community safety and access to justice, healthcare, education, and other essential services.
A key component of the training was a field visit to the Vergenoeg San community, located approximately 150 km from Gobabis. Here, the trainee paralegals had the opportunity to engage with community leaders and learn first-hand about their successful community policing initiatives. It provided valuable insights into how community-driven efforts can improve safety, reduce crime, and ensure greater access to justice for marginalised groups.
Speaking at the welcoming last Friday, Omaheke governor Pijoo Nganate addressed the selected trainee paralegals, highlighting the importance of paralegals in advancing community safety and supporting the rights of marginalised communities.
By the end of the training, the paralegals had gained a deeper understanding of how community safety impacts legal rights and access to services; developed practical skills in conflict resolution, community mediation, and legal support for safety-related issues, such as gender-based violence, land disputes, and youth crime prevention; and strengthened their capacity to collaborate with community leaders, local authorities and law enforcement to build safer, more resilient communities.
This training is part of a series of interventions coordinated by the LAC to strengthen access to justice for marginalised communities in Namibia, seeking to enhance access to justice and legal support in areas with limited legal resources. The focus is on building the capacity of trainee paralegals – community-based practitioners – who will play a crucial role in promoting community safety and ensuring legal empowerment in their respective San communities.
This series of training interventions supports paralegals in their work to protect and promote the legal rights of their communities.
The central theme of this particular training was community safety, with a special emphasis on the Vergenoeg San community’s experiences with community policing.
The Vergenoeg community has been successful in developing and implementing community-led initiatives aimed at crime prevention and conflict resolution, providing valuable lessons for other San communities in Namibia.
The training objectives included enhancing paralegals’ understanding of the relationship between community safety and access to justice, healthcare, education, and other essential services.
A key component of the training was a field visit to the Vergenoeg San community, located approximately 150 km from Gobabis. Here, the trainee paralegals had the opportunity to engage with community leaders and learn first-hand about their successful community policing initiatives. It provided valuable insights into how community-driven efforts can improve safety, reduce crime, and ensure greater access to justice for marginalised groups.
Speaking at the welcoming last Friday, Omaheke governor Pijoo Nganate addressed the selected trainee paralegals, highlighting the importance of paralegals in advancing community safety and supporting the rights of marginalised communities.
By the end of the training, the paralegals had gained a deeper understanding of how community safety impacts legal rights and access to services; developed practical skills in conflict resolution, community mediation, and legal support for safety-related issues, such as gender-based violence, land disputes, and youth crime prevention; and strengthened their capacity to collaborate with community leaders, local authorities and law enforcement to build safer, more resilient communities.
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