Peace Corps Volunteers Teach English to Judges

United States Department of State (Washington, DC)

27 July 2011

Washington — An English-language program for judges and court staff organized by American Peace Corps volunteers and the Rwandan government aims to improve judiciary capacity, promote legislative reforms and strengthen human rights and civic participation, the Peace Corps said in a July 21 announcement.

Eleven volunteers organized the pilot session, a four-month intensive training program that ended July 9, to teach English to more than 60 judges and court staff. The program reinforces the Rwandan government’s efforts toward a civil-common law system by improving judges’ access to legal resources.

With the support of the Millennium Challenge Corporation, an independent U.S. foreign aid corporation, and USAID’s Institute for Legal Practice and Development, the Peace Corps’ program supports “Rwandan judges and court staff in the transition to a civil-common law system,” said Peace Corps volunteer Ellie Frazier, one of the English-language trainers.

Frazier said classes focused on legal English and used real-world scenarios to address important developments within the Rwandan judicial system.

Supreme Court Deputy Chief Justice Sam Rugege stressed the importance of the English language to Rwandans, especially since the government adopted English as an official language in 2008 and joined the English-speaking East African Community (a regional intergovernmental organization) and the Commonwealth of Nations (an association of sovereign nations working toward shared international goals).

English skills remain a priority for the Rwandan judiciary, according to Rugege. He said English-language skills will help judges make well-informed decisions by improving their access to and understanding of legal documents, treatises and opinions.

Frazier said that since the success of the pilot program, volunteers have focused on expanding the training. In January 2012, more than 40 Peace Corps volunteers will teach an eight-week course at the district court level in four regional locations nationwide.

According to Peace Corps statistics, 90 volunteers are currently serving in Rwanda, where they work in the Kinyarwanda language on education and HIV/AIDS prevention projects. More than 200 Peace Corps volunteers have served in Rwanda since the program began in 1975. The first English-language volunteers arrived in October 2009.

The Peace Corps program collaborates with the Millennium Challenge Corporation’s Rwanda Justice Strengthening Program, one of five projects established in 2008 to support the Rwandan government’s efforts to strengthen civic participation, promote civil liberties and rights, and improve the judicial system.

The Rwanda Justice Strengthening Program provides training, technical support and funding to local and national civil society organizations and expands citizen engagement by supporting independent community radio stations.

AllAfrica – All the Time