Tuesday, January 30, 2007

What We Are and What We Do?

The Sudan Human Rights Association (SHRA) is a non-profit, non-partisan, and non-governmental organisation registered and operating in Uganda. It was established in 1996 and is concerned with monitoring the situation of refugees in their camps, empowering refugees with the ability to manage the challenges of their human rights situation. It is also advocating for refugees rights to be respected, promoted and defended.

SHRA is, so far, the only organisation in the region that conducts regular monitoring missions to investigate the human rights situation of refugees living in settlements in Uganda, Kenya, and Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC), and the IDP (internally displaced persons) camps in Southern Sudan.

SHRA documents the findings and uses them to draw attention to and build public support for the human rights concerns and underlying plight of refugees. The findings are also used for lobbying and advocating for reform and the much-needed improvements in the situation of refugees and displaced persons.

The organisation works to raise the level of human rights awareness among the refugee communities by organising training workshops to sensitise them about their rights and responsibilities and the available means of redress when the rights are violated. SHRA also offers extensive informational counselling, advice, and referral services to refugees both in Kampala and in the field.

Advocacy

SHRA produces a quarterly publication called "The Sudan Monitor". Each issue contains articles on the current situation in Sudan and Northern Uganda, reports from SHRA's monitoring tours and news from our paralegal training programme. The magazine is widely distributed among relevant stakeholders and the refugee community.

Click on the link to access selected articles from "The Sudan Monitor".
http://sudanmonitor.blogspot.com

Empowering Refugees

Under the Education for Peace program, SHRA empowers refugees by conducting paralegal trainings. Paralegals - sometimes called "barefoot-lawyers" - are trained among the Sudanese community in both Northern Uganda and Southern Sudan. They are essentially educated about their rights. Elements of the training include the role of the Paralegal, basic human rights concepts, conflict management, psycho-social issues and refugee law.

The training of Paralegals is linked to the civic education carried out by the two other implementing organisations under Education for Peace, EAA and NSEA.

Monitoring Human Rights


SHRA carries out monitoring at two levels: The organisation monitors the performance of the trained Paralegals as they provide support to fellow refugees. Case reports are collected and the level of human right violations is assessed.

SHRA also carries out on-spot monitoring of the general human rights situation in selected refugee settlements in the Great Lakes Region. The organisation typically interviews UNHCR and Government officials along with staff from the implementing partners. Subsequently, the team moves to the settlement to verify the information. Aspects include: General security, food security, water and sanitation, health and education. The reports are forwarded to the relevant stakeholders and the general findings are published in the Sudan Monitor.

Calendar

18-23 Mar 2007: Official introducion of Paralegals continue in Moyo and Adjumani Districts

12-16 Mar 2007: Monitoring of living conditions in and around Yei, South Sudan

20 Feb. - 1 Mar. 2007: Introducing mandated Paralegals to the communities in refugee settlements in Northern Uganda

9-11 Feb. 2007: SHRA attends the Annual Meeting of MS-Uganda in Jinja, Uganda

Contact SHRA!

If you have any questions or comments for the Sudan Human Rights Association, don't hesitate to contact us.

Send us an email if you have an article you would like to appear in the next issue of The Sudan Monitor.

Sudan Human Rights Association
Nabunya Road Wagaba Zone, Plot 419
P.O. Box 7327
Kampala, Uganda

Phone: +256(0)41270440
Email: shra.uganda[at]yahoo.com