How do community-based legal programs work

Category
Publication Subtitle

Understanding the process and benefits of a pilot program to advance women’s property rights in Uganda

Publication year

2011

Publication Author

Krista Jacobs, Meredith Saggers, Sophie Namy

Women’s property rights, especially access to land, are increasingly recognized as critical to achieving poverty reduction and gender equality. Research shows that community-based legal aid programs are a viable approach to improving legal knowledge and women’s access to legal resources to address property issues. From 2009-2010, the International Center for Research on Women (ICRW) and the Uganda Land Alliance (ULA) implemented and evaluated a pilot program to strengthen women’s property rights.

This report describes the pilot program’s implementation, outcomes and lessons. It details the program design, methodologies for monitoring and evaluation, and the context in which the program was implemented. Findings include a discussion of challenges encountered by the rights workers and overall program achievements. And recommendations for community rights work as an approach to promoting women’s property rights also are included.