Our Vision
Empowered citizens, responsive governments.
Our Mission
Namati is dedicated to putting the law in people’s hands. We strive to build a just world, in which every one of us can take part in the decisions – and demand accountability from the institutions – that affect our lives.
Our Strategy
Namati works in three ways:
Grassroots innovation
Namati partners with civil society organizations and governments to develop, implement, and evaluate legal empowerment strategies that address five urgent global challenges:
- Delivering quality legal aid at scale;
- Protecting community land rights;
- Closing the enforcement gap in environmental law;
- Fulfilling the right to citizenship; and
- Ensuring that essential services like healthcare and education are accountable to local communities.
A global network
Namati convenes an international community of practitioners committed to advancing justice. Members learn from each other and collaborate across borders. Together, we are building a stronger global movement for legal empowerment.
Research & Advocacy
Drawing on our own experience and that of the wider network, we advocate for and advise on reforms to policies and institutions.
Our Name
Namati is a Sanskrit word with two meanings: “to bow” and “to shape something into a curve.” The first meaning is about reverence. The second meaning evokes the idea of transformation, as in this prophesy from Martin Luther King Jr.: “the arc of the moral universe is long, but it bends towards justice.” We hope to be guided by both these principles.
Support
Namati is grateful for generous support from institutions and private individuals, including among others UKAid from the Department of International Development; AusAid, the Australian Government’s Overseas Aid Program; UNDP, the United Nations Development Program; and OSF, the Open Society Foundations.
