Legal Officers at Prison Fellowship Rwanda (PFR)

PRISON FELLOWSHIP RWANDA

MEMBER OF THE PRISON FELLOWSHIP INTERNATIONAL

Headquarters: Kicukiro District, Kigali City,

P.O. Box :2098 Kigali Rwanda, Website: www.pfrwanda.org.

Email: info@pfrwanda.org or info.pfrwanda@gmail.com 

Tel: + 250787473588/ +250788610515

JOB ANNOUNCEMENT.

Position: Legal Officer (3)

Duty Station: Refugee camps and urban setting

Job type: Full-Time

Duration: Fixed Term with Extension Possibility.

Background

Prison Fellowship Rwanda (PFR) is a non-profit organization working with the government of Rwanda and both local and international organizations to foster peacebuilding, unity, reconciliation, mental health and psychosocial support, access to justice, crime prevention, human rights promotion, and socio-economic empowerment of vulnerable people in Rwanda in the wake of the 1994 genocide against the Tutsi and its aftermath.

Prison Fellowship Rwanda was founded on 01/07/1995, affiliated with Prison Fellowship International in 1997, and officially registered and recognized by Ministerial Order No. 037/17 of 23/10/2002 by the Ministry of Justice as a non-profit organization, with its registration published in the Official Gazette of the Republic of Rwanda in 2002. 

PFR envisions a society where unity, peace and justice reign and has a mission to contribute to the social transformation of vulnerable communities through peacebuilding, livelihood, justice, psychosocial and spiritual resilience interventions. 

Since 2020, Prison Fellowship Rwanda (PFR) in partnership with United Nations High Commission for Refugees (UNHCR) and the Ministry in Charge of Emergency Management (MINEMA) supports refugees and asylum seekers in Rwanda in the following sectors:

a) Community-Based Protection (CBP) services,

b) Legal Assistance and civil documentation

c) Starting from August 2024, Mental Health and Psychosocial Support/ Community Based Sociotherapy plus protection and inclusion of Persons with Specific Needs in all refugee camps, Urban Settings and Emergency Transit Mechanism (ETM) Gashora.

Currently Prison Fellowship Rwanda is looking for qualified and highly motivated candidates of high moral character and professional integrity to fulfill the position of Community–Based Protection Officer.

Objectives:

• Provide legal information and support to refugees.
• Assist in the implementation of legal and protection frameworks.
• Facilitate access to legal resources and services for refugees.

Key Responsibilities

Under the supervision of the Project Manager, the Community based protection officer will undertake the following specific tasks:

Legal Information and Support:

• Provide refugees with information on their legal rights and available legal procedures.
• Assist refugees in understanding and navigating legal documents and processes.
• Offer support in preparing and organizing legal documentation.
• Be responsible for the elaboration of project progress, annual, monthly and other types of reports;
• Facilitate Asylum seekers Applicants’ ability to exercise their right, wherever possible;
• To provide an Asylum seeker’s applicant sound, confidential legal and procedural advice, to ensure that asylum’s applicant refugee claim is fully and accurately presented, and that the asylum seekers Applicant’s rights are protected and respected throughout the UNHCR RSD procedure;
• Provide assistance with the completion of various form and documents relevant to the RSD process;
• Develop and encourage new and innovative solutions that will contribute to sustainable improvements of well-being of refugees/asylum seekers;
• Providing legal assistance and representation to person of concern;
• Contributing towards development of IEC materials;
• Facilitation of civil registration;
• Attendance of interviews throughout the RSD process, including where applicable at the appeal stage, as well as in re-opening procedures and procedures for cancellation, revocation or cessation of refugee status.
• Leading of awareness-raising sessions on human rights and crime prevention
• Perform any other task assigned by the management in relation to a success of the project

Resource Facilitation:

• Connect refugees with legal aid services and external legal professionals as needed.
• Maintain a directory of legal resources and services, including NGOs, legal clinics, and government agencies.

Compliance and Coordination:

• Assist in ensuring that organizational activities comply with legal and protection standards.
• Collaborate with legal professionals and organizations to ensure accurate and up-to-date information is provided.

Capacity Building and Training:

• Conduct informational sessions and workshops for refugees on legal rights and procedures.
• Provide training for staff on legal issues and refugee rights, as appropriate.
• Conducting group Refugee Status Determination periodic workshops/classes to educate asylum seekers about mandate RSD procedures and how to prepare their claims;

Monitoring and Reporting:

• Monitor and document common legal issues and trends within the refugee community.
• Prepare reports on legal assistance activities, trends, and challenges.
• Ensuring that all project components are implemented according to the project plans, in order to meet all goals and objectives;
• Be responsible to support the day-to-day management of the project to ensure its effective, efficient and cost-sensitive management;
• Ensure the annual and quarterly planning, implementation of activities, monitoring/reviewing of activities, timely reporting as per project agreement;
• Monitor project plans and ensure the overall coordination of the project activities and coordinate the work of paralegals;
• Detention monitoring of detention facilities throughout the country to ensure that any detained person of concern receives justice;

Advocacy and Policy Support:

• Support advocacy efforts by providing information and insights on legal issues affecting refugees.
• Contribute to the development of policy recommendations based on observed legal needs and challenges.

Administrative Support:

• Assist in the management and organization of legal documentation and case files.
• Coordinate with legal aid providers and other stakeholders to facilitate access to legal services.
• Represent the organization in different meetings and other relevant events related to the project;
• Ensure a strong collaboration with partners including UNHCR, MINEMA and other implementing partners on the field.

QUALIFICATIONS

• Bachelor degree in Law; good knowledge of human rights standards, Rwanda national laws, good knowledge of alternative dispute resolution methodologies and RDS procedures

ESSENTIAL SKILLS AND EXPERIENCE.

• Minimum of 3 years of experience in a similar role, preferably in refugee or humanitarian settings.
• Fluency in written and spoken English, Kinyarwanda and Knowledge of French will be added advantage.
• Demonstrated success achieving goals and communicating cross-culturally.
• Be a team player, detail-oriented, patient, professional, and reliable.
• Strongly motivated by humanitarian work
• Able to work under pressure, especially in court hearing proceedings
• Demonstrated expertise in the field of Protection, Legal aid, Community rehabilitation services, mediation, counselling, and humanitarian settings.

HOW TO APPLY.

To apply for this position, please send your motivation letter, CV, Degree, ID/passport and other certificates, two recommendation letters from your previous employer plus a church recommendation to: recruitment@pfrwanda.org and mention the title of the position “Legal Officer” in the subject line of the email.

• The application should be addressed to the Executive Director of Prison Fellowship Rwanda and the document should be in one PDF format.
• Apply before 19^thSeptember 2024 at 5:00pm. Only shortlisted candidates will be contacted. For more information about Prison Fellowship Rwanda, visit: pfrwanda.org 

“Prison Fellowship Rwanda has a zero tolerance to Sexual Exploitation and Abuse of beneficiaries.  Protection from Sexual Exploitation and Abuse (PSEA) is everyone’s