About us

The Legal Aid Forum (LAF) is Rwanda’s leading non-state provider of legal aid services. Established in 2006, LAF operates as a membership-based network comprising 38 national and international NGOs, professional associations, universities, legal aid clinics, and faith-based organizations. LAF is dedicated to improving access to justice for indigent and vulnerable communities through the delivery of high-quality legal aid services. To ensure these services are accessible, LAF employs various legal empowerment strategies, including mobile legal aid clinics, mass legal awareness activities in communities and a dedicated legal aid call center. In addition to service delivery, LAF undertakes research and legal analysis to inform advocacy for legal and policy reforms. The organization also builds the capacity of justice sector actors and human rights defenders on topics ranging from legal frameworks to international standards on access to justice, human rights, and the rule of law. Since 2014, LAF is the convener and chair of the Rwanda Civil Society Coalition on the Universal Periodic Review (UPR), playing a key role in enhancing the capacity of civil society organizations to integrate and follow up on international human rights recommendations for improved human rights outcomes in Rwanda. LAF is a founding member and host secretariat of the continent-wide African Centre of Excellence for Access to Justice.