Ithunyelwe nge-12 ka-Okthobha, ngo-2023
8: 00 am
Amavolontiya oNcedo lwezoMthetho axhaswa ngabasebenzi aboyikekayo kwiLegal Aid, apha ukunceda pro bono amagqwetha onke amanyathelo endlela! Funda apha #MyLegalAidStory ka-Aliah Lawson, u-Isabel McClain kunye noTeresa Mathern - abaNcedisi boLawulo lweNkqubo yamaVolontiya eNcedo yoMthetho.
Bancedisa ekusetheni ithoni kwaye bagcine yonke into icwangcisiwe kwiiklinikhi ezimfutshane zoNcedo lwezoMthetho. Ukongeza, baxhasa amagqwetha angamavolontiya athatha amatyala kuNcedo lwezoMthetho ukuze afumane uncedo olwandisiweyo kunye nokumelwa. Ukusuka ekunxibelelaneni namahlakani asekuhlaleni, ukuya ekuncedeni ukudibanisa abathengi kunye namagqwetha kunye nokuqinisekisa ukuba amavolontiya anezixhobo ezifunekayo ukunceda abathengi boNcedo lwezoMthetho, babaluleke kakhulu kumsebenzi wepro bono woNcedo lwezoMthetho.
Funda ngakumbi malunga neqela kolu dliwano-ndlebe!
Waqala njani ukuva ngoNcedo lwezoMthetho?
Aliah Lawson: Ndaqala ukuva ngoNcedo lwezoMthetho ndisafunda eCase Western Reserve University. Umbutho wam wangaphambili womthetho uzakubamba umnyhadala wonyaka wokunyusa ingxowa-mali yoNcedo lwezoMthetho kwaye bendiza kuncedisa ekuququzeleleni umsitho. Ndandisazi ngoNcedo lwezoMthetho ngokubanzi, kodwa ndandingaqondi ukuba ndingavolontiya njani ngaphandle kokuba ligqwetha. Ubulungisa bentlalontle buqhubeka buyinto ebalulekileyo yobomi bam kwaye ndiyakonwabela ukulwela abo basekuhlaleni. Ndathi ndakuqonda ukuba umsebenzi woNcedo lwezoMthetho uhambelana njani nowam, ndagqiba ekubeni ndifake isicelo somsebenzi.
Isabel McClain: Ndaqala ukuva ngoNcedo lwezoMthetho ngokuba ngaphandle ekuhlaleni. Kwakhona, umhlobo kamama wam osenyongweni waya ekholejini nomntu osebenza kwaLegal Aid. Ndaqala ukuba nomdla kwezomthetho ngelixa ndifunda izifundo ezibizwa ngokuba yi-"Neverland" ngelixa ndandifunda kwiYunivesithi yasePuget Sound eWashington State. Ikhosi yayilufundo lwendlela abantwana abachazwa ngayo ngumthetho. Ndaye ndaqaphela ukuba into endiyilangazelelayo ihambelana nomsebenzi weLegal Aid kunye neenqobo ezisemgangathweni.
Teresa Mathern: Ndisebenze e-Akron Legal Aid isithuba esingaphezulu kweminyaka esi-8, ndaze ndajoyina iLegal Aid Society yaseCleveland ngo-2022. Bendisoloko ndiwonwabela umsebenzi ongenzi nzuzo. Kuyanelisa kakhulu kwaye kulunge ngokunyanisekileyo emphefumlweni. Kukho imvakalelo enjalo yokufezekisa xa ukwazi ukunceda umxhasi. Kwaye ngaphezulu koko ukusebenza kunye nabantu abanenjongo efanayo yobulungisa bentlalontle.
Kutheni ukonwabela ukusebenza namavolontiya?
Aliah Lawson: Kuyayonwabisa ukubona iimbono ezahlukeneyo kunye namava athi umntu ngamnye eze nawo kwiKliniki yeeNgcebiso eziFutshane. Amanye amagqwetha anoloyiko ngenxa yokuba asenokungabi nawo amava amaninzi kwimiba yoNcedo lwezoMthetho abajongene nayo, kodwa iqela lethu liyabanceda kwaye liyabakhuthaza ngalo. Into endiyifumanisayo yeyokuba xa abantu befumana iKliniki yeeNgcebiso eziNgcebiswayo, bayakuvuyela ukubuya, ukuze benze okungakumbi, kwaye “bathathe ityala” ukuze banike uncedo olungakumbi lwezomthetho kubaxumi boNcedo lwezoMthetho.
Isabel McClain: Ndiyakonwabela ukwazi abantu. Indima yam indivumela ukuba ndidibane nabantu abavela kweminye imibutho kwaye ndifunde ngabantu abasuka kuluhlu olubanzi lwamava kunye neemvelaphi ezibandakanya abo bakuluntu lwabathengi. Umsebenzi wam unomvuzo.
Teresa Mathern: Ndiyakuthanda ukudibana nabantu abatsha kwaye lo msebenzi ubonelela ngelo thuba, ngelixa ndikwaphuhlisa ubudlelwane neqela labantu abazimisele ukunikela ngexesha labo kunye namava abo ukunceda iintsapho kunye nabantu abanokuthi ngenye indlela abanakumelwa ngokusemthethweni okanye ubuncinci ukuqonda okusisiseko kwabo. ingxaki yomthetho kunye neziphi izisombululo ezinikezelwa kubo ngumthetho.
Ubuya kuthini ukuze ukhuthaze abanye ukuba bazinikele ngokuzithandela?
Aliah Lawson: Amagqwetha aya kukwazi ukusebenza nabaxumi abaludinga kakhulu uncedo abanokuthi bangalufumani ngenye indlela. Nokuba igalelo lincinci lexesha lakho linokwenza umahluko omkhulu. Kwaye ukuba ulivolontiya kwaye ufuna uncedo, awuwedwa. Abasebenzi boNcedo lwezoMthetho balapha ukunceda. Lo msebenzi unomvuzo ngokwenene. Umsebenzi weKlinikhi yeeNgcebiso eziNgcaciso unokubonelela ngolwaneliseko olukhawulezileyo kumavolontiya kunye nabathengi kuba abathengi banokuhamba benolwazi olufanelekileyo kunye nezixhobo eziya phambili. Ngamava axabisekileyo kwaye kuyavuza ukubuyisela eluntwini.
Isabel McClain: Andinakugxininisa ngokwaneleyo ukuba abaluleke kangakanani amavolontiya kubaxhasi bethu. Ngamanye amaxesha amavolontiya oyika ukuba akazi ngokwaneleyo ukunceda umxhasi, kodwa abaqondi uxolo lwengqondo abanokunika umxhasi xa bekwidabi elisemthethweni. Abaqondi ukuba bangenza umahluko obonakalayo kubomi bomntu. Kumnandi ukuva kubathengi abathi kwiiyure ezimbini bakwazile ukuhlaziya umyolelo kunye nokugcina ilifa losapho lwabo. Kuhle ukuva ukuba umntu onomcimbi wokubhanga ngoku unokuba nemali eyaneleyo yokuvula ubushushu bakhe ebusika.
Teresa Mathern: Bendingabazisa ukuba bayafuneka, kukho abantu kunye neentsapho ezingakumelwanga ngokusemthethweni. Ukuba umsebenzi wabo wokuzithandela unokuba namandla okuguqula ubomi.
Uncedo lwezoMthetho luyabothula umsebenzi onzima wethu pro bono amavolontiya. Ukubandakanyeka, ndwendwela iwebhusayithi yethu, okanye i-imeyile probono@lasclev.org.
Kwaye, sincede sibeke imbeko Umbhiyozo weSizwe we-ABA wowama-2023 Pro Bono ngokuya kwimisitho yasekhaya kule nyanga kuMntla-mpuma weOhio. Funda ngakumbi kule linki: lasclev.org/2023ProBonoVeek