| Community Law & Rural Development Centre |
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The Mission Statement of the CLRDC is to utilise its multi-pronged education and training programmes, which include training of Paralegals and capacity building of Management Committees, democracy and good governance education, access to justice, capacity building for community structures and promotion of gender equality aimed at empowering communities to respect the rights of others and take charge of their own development through the application of empowering instruments. Aims and ObjectivesThe overall objective of the CLRDC programmes is to render free access to legal services, democracy and human rights education and information in rural communities for promotion and advancement of Bill of Rights and respect for the rule of law. Furthermore, these objectives are aimed at strengthening capacity of community members and leaders so that they assist in protection and in pursuit of human right-cultured lifestyles. In addition, these objectives are intended to enable people to respect the rights of others and seek legal redress when their rights are threatened and or are violated. Core functions
Background historyThe Community Law and Rural Development Centre, CLRDC, formerly known as the Community Law Centre, CLC, is a Section 21, Incorporated, a Company not for gain and a registered Non-Profit Organisation in terms of the Non-Profit Act, 1997. Its primary focus is utilizing human rights and legislative instruments to facilitate access to justice so as to achieve equal protection and enjoyment of human rights, freedoms and liberties by predominately traditional “rural” communities in KwaZulu/Natal and some parts of the Eastern Cape Provinces as expounded in the South African Constitution. CLRDC programmes are also aimed at improvement of the quality of life of the underprivileged communities through access socio-economic justice, human rights and democracy education. It has a working experience that spares close to twenty years and is committed to promoting the values of racial harmonization, gender equality and participatory democracy. It started in 1989 as a pilot project in five rural communities and the number grew rapidly over the years and exceeded sixty-seven Paralegal advice centres in 2003. The demands for CLRDC services and its success spread far and wide and its outreach programmes extended to north-eastern parts of Eastern Cape Province (Bizana). The organisation currently has no less thirty (30) Advice Offices in no less than twenty-one (21) of fifty-one (51) Local Municipalities in KwaZulu-Natal. The total number of offices recover no less that five million (R5m) per year for clients and attend in excess of three thousand (3000) clients who visit the offices for general and specific advices. CLRDC, in partnership with the Institute for Professional Legal Training, IPLT, is training a group of twenty-five Community Legal Assistants recruited from 12 rural wards of EThekwini Municipality. These trainees will be receiving their Module 1 Certificates later in February and Module 2 will continue in April, August and expected to complete their theoretical training in November 2008. CLRDC is a founder member of the National Alliance for Development of Community Advice Offices, NADCAO, an organisation co-ordinating the paralegal sector is South Africa. CLRDC works throughout Kwa-Zulu/Natal & the Eastern Cape Major Funders:
Project Contact Person:
Mr Langelihle “Langa” Mtshali,
Postal Address: P. O Box 3014, MAYVILLE, DURBAN, 4058 Bookmark this article:          |
The Community Law and Rural Development Centre, CLRDC, is an independent, non-profit organisation that empowers communities in rural areas to become self-reliant and participate meaningfully in the decision-making that affects their daily lives. It also works to improve the quality of life for the rural communities by promoting the fundamental rights and values of the Constitution with special emphasis on the elimination of inequality, injustice, discrimination and poverty.