UF Law alumni team up to empower indigenous rights in Rural Panama Two organizations founded by University of Florida alumni are teaming up to raise funds to support a unique trip to Central America.
Village Rights International (VRI) is a non-profit organization that supports legal education and advocacy for rural indigenous communities in Latin America. CrowdLaw is the first and only online platform to cater exclusively to legal advocates and clients. Through a CrowdLaw-funded campaign, VRI hopes to further its mission to help poverty-stricken native peoples in Panama mount legal challenges against corporate and state interests that threaten their communities. Over 25% of Panama’s population lives in poverty. Nearly half of those living in rural areas suffer from poverty, and a quarter of those people experience extreme poverty. For Panamanian natives, the numbers are worse – 80% live below the poverty line and 50% are extremely poor. VRI Director Benjamin Goodman (UF Law ’12) founded Village Rights International after he witnessed first-hand the legal issues faced by indigenous communities in Latin America. VRI’s vision is to prepare indigenous communities to meet legal challenges arising from development and conservation. VRI is currently addressing the legal needs of the Kuna community of Morti as it deals with the challenges of conservation and development in Panama. CrowdLaw.net – a University of Florida Innovation Hub startup founded in 2014 by Henry Perlstein (UF Law ‘12) – enables advocates and clients to create a campaign to raise funds for legal advocacy. Donors can choose to remain anonymous or identify themselves. Clients and advocates may also choose to seek funding privately. All donations are secured by PayPal, and all funds are distributed transparently to benefit advocacy. There is no charge to users of the platform, which makes the service unique. “Bringing VRI and CrowdLaw together was a natural fit,” says Perlstein.
“VRI’s work isn’t just about providing access to resources,” he says. “It’s also about providing access to justice. And that’s what CrowdLaw is about, too.” Perlstein believes that the advocacy landscape is changing, and sees donation fees and other markups as obstacles to making meaningful social impact. “Crowdfunding as a tool of disruption enables us to rethink previously unsustainable models,” says Perlstein. “Platforms like CrowdLaw.net, and others that will surely emulate it, will empower the next generation of change-makers." VRI’s upcoming trip to Panama – funded through a recently launched CrowdLaw campaign – is essential to the success of its program and the continuance of assistance to its clients. The trip will be divided in two phases. Week one will be dedicated to development. Goodman will meet with Panama Director Teobaldo (Teo) Martinez and Director of Projects Wilfredo Lopez to discuss the progress and future of VRI. These meetings will be used to evaluate the progress of VRI’s Legal Education Campaign, to develop strategy, and build team morale. Goodman will also interview other community members as potential volunteers. In the second week, Goodman will partner with Solea Water (www.soleawater.org) to initiate a clean water project for the Kuna village of Wala, one of Morti’s neighbor’s in the Wargandi Comarca. VRI is currently seeking funds via CrowdLaw to make this trip a reality. See funding site for further information: https://campaigns.crowdlaw.net/campaigns/vri-panama-trip-march25th-april-8th/ Contact: +1 (352) 575-0504 Twitter: (@)crowdlawnet Website: http://crowdlaw.net