Jane Edwards
“The Spirit of the Lord is on me, because he has anointed me to proclaim good news to the poor. He has sent me to proclaim freedom for the prisoners and recovery of sight for the blind, to set the oppressed free, to proclaim the year of the Lord’s favour.”
— Luke 4:18-19
This was Jesus’ chosen passage to describe Himself and His ministry on earth, and it touches on a couple of ministry areas that we as AMAC are looking to expand into.
AMAC is the Mozambican Christian Lawyers’ Association, and seeks to promote access to justice for the vulnerable, needy and marginalised, showing them the love and compassion of Christ. We do this in three main ways:
Legal aid for those in Mozambique who cannot afford a lawyer
Legal educations to teach people about their rights under the law
Fellowship for Christian lawyers and law students, seeking to build them up in their faith to fight for justice.
One new area that we are hoping to start shortly is going into prisons, giving legal educations and then specific legal advice and accompaniment to those prisoners who need it. As AMAC, we have already helped clients be released on bail who had been awaiting their trial in prison, and then defended them at the trial as well. With intentionally going into prisons, we can reach many more people who need our services in this way. We are also looking to do this in conjunction with local churches, who can help support people who have been released, and a partner organisation who will teach inmates a business skill so they can support themselves financially.
Another new area is that we are starting specific legal educations with the Institute for the Visually Impaired. Teaching both the visually impaired themselves and those who work in the institute about their legal rights. We have also been working with the Association for the Disabled in Mozambique, with activists who work with disabled people. Unemployment among disabled people here is really high, but teaching them about their rights and the protections they are entitled to at work means they have more of a chance of securing employment. (Not quite giving recovery of sight as in the verses from Luke, but contributing to enabling people to live more independently with a disability.)
For me, this aspect of collaborating with other organisations and State institutions so that our work can have a greater impact is something that it has been great to see develop with AMAC. I have been supporting AMAC for seven years now, and I am always really encouraged when I think of the growth that has taken place in AMAC’s ministry during that time.
Our work, though, is not just aimed at assisting people to access justice here on earth, but also passing on the Good News of the gospel. With our legal aid work, for example, we are able to openly share our faith with the clients who come in, and pray with them if they are willing. And, beyond our words, the fact that as Christian lawyers we are using our legal skills and training to help the vulnerable and marginalised access justice shows Christ’s love in a practical way.
