Day 1: Training and testimonies
Posted: 14 August 2019
Legal Training
On Monday morning, Belinda and Kiera led a session with Lawyers of Hope staff and paralegals on how to take witness statements from vulnerable people. The participants found the training helpful for adapting questions to each client individually and being patient with them, especially if retelling traumatic events. It was encouraging to hear how these skills will be implemented in their future practice to better support vulnerable children.
Ntarama Genocide Memorial
In the afternoon, we visited Ntarama Genocide Memorial Centre. It is located on the site of a church where 5,000 Tutsi were killed during the Rwandan Genocide. One of the genocide survivors gave her account of the traumatic events that happened and the story of how she managed to escape. It was such a deeply moving testimony to hear.
Meeting the Prison Ministry Team
In the evening we met with the Lawyers of Hope Prison Ministry team. They are highly experienced lawyers who work to bring about justice for prisoners. We were very much intrigued by the variety of cases they encounter and the challenges that they face in their work. Later, we sat down to have dinner with the Prison Ministry team which we all thoroughly enjoyed.
