Community-based protection and Legal Assistance
Since January 2020, under the partnership agreement with UNHCR, Prison Fellowship Rwanda (PFR) delivers legal services in Kigali and three refugee camps (Gihembe, Nyabiheke, and Kiziba) and Community Based Protection activities in all locations.
From 18-21 February 2020, an induction training for PFR staff to facilitate the close collaboration between UNHCR and Prison Fellowship Rwanda as UNHCR’s new Legal and Community-Based Protection partner. The training session provided details of how UNHCR works with people that have been forced to flee from their homes and seek shelter elsewhere. The training session covered principles of international protection and main protection concepts and theories with a focus on legal and community-based protection approaches in Rwanda.
Workshop opening remarks by UNHCR Rwanda Senior Protection Officer, Louisa Muithya
The four-day workshop covered all basics of protection, especially Community Based Protection and Legal Protection in both international and Rwandan contexts.
Presentation on UNHCR mandate as well as international protection principles. Concepts such as protection, international protection, and responsibilities of the country of asylum as well as UNHCR responsibilities and protection principles were covered.
Throughout the training, case studies were used to clarify the concepts and discuss possible challenges using group discussions.
Models to ensure accountability to affected populations were also discussed. Those include complaint and feedback mechanisms, community centers, and community outreach volunteer models. Prison Fellowship Rwanda staff participated in discussions and asked questions after the presentations.
Comprehensive Refugee Response Framework (CRRF) and Government of Rwanda’s commitments towards refugees were explained while the issues of Nationality, statelessness, Voluntary Repatriation and return and reintegration were also covered.
There were a presentation and interactions on reporting, what do (DOs), and what you should not do (DON’Ts)while Communicating with Communities (Persons of Concerns).
The Deputy Executive Director of Prison Fellowship Rwanda- Ntwali Jean Paul thanked UNHCR for the great partnership and for the workshop with Prison Fellowship Rwanda Staff.
PFR and UNHCR Staff took a photo after the workshop
