Access to justice remains a significant challenge for many communities in Burundi. Limited legal resources, a lack of awareness, and procedural delays often prevent people from obtaining the necessary support. However, innovative digital solutions are transforming the legal landscape, ensuring citizens and legal professionals have better access to justice.
Legal professionals require ongoing training and up-to-date access to legal information to ensure citizens receive better judicial services. Public awareness of legal rights and available mechanisms remains limited, highlighting the need for more outstanding legal education.
A consortium of three organisations—CORDAID, AUXFIN, and Bibliothèques Sans Frontières—has secured funding from the Netherlands Embassy in Burundi to implement the project Digital Technology for Strengthening Burundi’s Judicial System and Improving Access to Justice in Makamba.
Watch this video and learn more about the programme from those directly involved. Turn on the captions for French subtitles.
Launched in June 2023, the project aims to enhance access to legal information through innovative digital tools. These include the Legal Coach and the Virtual Legal Library, which provide essential legal texts to judicial professionals, legal practitioners, and the general public. Special attention is given to the needs of women and vulnerable groups to promote inclusive access to justice.
The results:
- 73,000 households reached
- 1,445 tablets equipped with up-to-date legal content distributed
- 25 virtual legal libraries established
- 2,055 local leaders trained in conflict resolution
- The quality of judicial decisions improved from 40% to 70% in the targeted province
The project has proven to be highly impactful. Justice professionals and communities recognise its benefits and advocate for its expansion nationwide.
‘We hope the success in Makamba will inspire expansion to other provinces,’ says Médiatrice Kanyange, Coordinator of Partner Support to the Ministry of Justice. ‘This project is practical, effective, and essential for strengthening justice and serving communities across Burundi.’