Value of Service Learning Through Global Collaborations

Abstract

This article outlines the importance of international clinical service learning in the area of legal education. The article describes two mobile legal clinic projects in Nepal that are part of an international collaboration between Forum for Nation Building (FNB), a non-governmental organization (NGO) based in Nepal, a university professor hailing from the United States, law students and professionals. Law students and professionals were recruited to be clinic volunteers and trained to form mobile legal aid clinics. Both projects began as a collaborative effort between a Nepal-based NGO and a professor from the United States seeking to obtain funding to serve distressed populations in Nepal. Since earthquakes and other natural disasters cause an immediate harm and threat of harm to residents of the area, the initial response is to provide food, clothing and shelter to the most vulnerable sections. However, once the initial shock is over and basic needs are met, many persons including survivors of domestic violence among these displaced populations will have legal problems which will need to be addressed. Although stationary clinics are important in providing services to such communities, they may be inaccessible or otherwise unknown to those in greatest need who do not possess the means to travel even a modest distance to reach them. This article will discuss how mobile clinics can be used to provide legal aid on various issues including domestic violence to survivors of natural disasters with specific reference to the earthquake that devastated Nepal in 2015.