Legal Aid Centers, Bahir Dar University, Ethiopia

Faculty took me on a tour of a couple of Legal Aid Centers that Bahir Dar University operates. The 6 Centers depend on in-kind donations of office space and a small budget from the University. The goal is to expand the visibility of the centers and increase their outside funding so they can be a greater force for change in the community and education for the students. 
This is the Center in Bahir Dar close to the Court of Appeals and where I live. I was also able to visit the center in the prison. That was especially interesting and active. I sat in on a couple of interviews of prisoners by students, which was interesting, even if I could not understand a word of the Amharic spoken. The problems, summarized for me later by the faculty supervisor, included a prisoner who has merely been accused and has waited months for a trial. This is a critical issue in many countries, including the United States. BDU needs funding to be able to do more work at these Legal Aid Centers.