As defined by the Open Society Foundations, legal empowerment is about strengthening the capacity of all people to exercise their right as individuals or as members of their communities. I am extremely excited to be taking part in this Brigade, in which we will be travelling to Honduras to provide legal empowerment to various communities. Through engagement with legal clinics and workshops raising awareness of pressing current issues, such as domestic violence, the brigade aims to open the door to rights that we often take for granted in a Western community. Faced with many tangible barriers, for example, a lack of money to be able to access legal protection or an unawareness of the existence of rights, many individuals are deprived of deserved justice.

Through your donations many individuals will receive access to essential legal assistance which they would not receive otherwise. Professional Honduran lawyers will dispense this advice, and together with the brigade, will legally empower whole communities. This will not only solve the specific cases with which we are met, but will equip the community with ever-lasting knowledge of what their legal rights are. This will reduce future cases of injustice, allowing individuals who may feel helpless now to be empowered for the future.