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Timap for Justice

Freetown, Sierra Leone
Joined November 2011

TIMAP means "stand up" in Krio. TIMAP paralegals straddle Sierra Leone's dualist legal system to help communities stand up for their rights.

Presence in: Sierra Leone
Focus: Criminal Justice, Education, Family, Gender-based violence, Traditional / Customary Justice, Women's Rights

Timap for Justice is a pioneering effort to provide basic justice services in Sierra Leone. Because of a shortage of lawyers in the country and because of Sierra Leone’s dualist legal structure, Timap’s frontline is made up of community-based paralegals rather than lawyers. We have developed a creative, flexible model to advance justice, one which combines education, mediation, negotiation, organizing, and advocacy.  Our paralegals’ efficacy stems from a confluence of 1) a knowledge of, and facility with, formal law and government, and 2) a knowledge of the community and facility with more community-oriented, social movement-type tools.