As part of our 10 year anniversary celebrations, we’re featuring blogs from our staff, volunteers, and board members over the next 10 months. Each one will tell the personal story of their involvement with AdvocAid.
Victoria’s Story
I am Victoria Koroma, a Barrister and Solicitor of the High Court of Sierra Leone. I came to know AdvocAid in 2010 when I was employed as their Northern Region Paralegal. At that time, I was still a student of the University of Makeni trying to complete my Diploma in Paralegal Studies.
When I was accepted to study Law at the University of Makeni (back then it was the Fatima Institute), it was not yet able to establish a Law Department so early in its establishment. My dream was to read Law at Fourah Bay College, the University of Sierra Leone, but my father encouraged me to take up Law at the institute. I considered it a risk, but I did it.
As I embarked on the course in 2007, my father was out of work and my mother a primary school teacher. My elder brother was also reading his degree, making it difficult for my mother to handle the financial demands of two children at university. My mother was just about able to manage that year.
During my second year, we learnt that the four-year programme I had enrolled on, would now last for six years due to the Institute struggling to secure University status. This forced my fellow pupils and I to take an exam (NCTVA) to secure a diploma qualification. I was proud to get the best result in Paralegal Studies.
I was able to get a scholarship from the Catholic Mission during my second year of study, but the scholarship was only meant for a standard four-year degree course; having received it in my second of six years, it meant that during my final year at the University, I would have no scholarship. This was very worrying when the academic fees were going up every year and even though I was working, I was unable to save such a large amount when also taking care of myself and my unemployed father.
This was when AdvocAid stepped in, and not only financially supported me in my final year, but they also supported my law school charges. For this timely intervention, I want to say thank you to AdvocAid for investing in a young ambitious lady like me. I know that without their support I would have found it very difficult to complete my course.
My success at the Sierra Leone Law School can not only be based on AdvocAid supporting me financially, but also the opportunity they gave me as an employee. This gave me experience in the court room for five uninterrupted years as a paralegal. The work experience I gained during my paralegal work with AdvocAid gave me a better foundation to emerge as the STAR PUPIL of the Sierra Leone Law School for the Academic Year 2015.
I extend my sincere thanks and appreciation to AdvocAid donors, and the entire staff and management for their immense contribution in building my career and for unveiling my potential. With my qualification as a Barrister and Solicitor of the High Court of Sierra Leone, I vow this day to give back all I can to AdvocAid especially in providing legal advice and representation to its target beneficiaries – women and girls in conflict with the law in Sierra Leone. Once again, I say thank you, thank you, thank you!
Kadia’s Story: One case I worked on with AdvocAid, was that of Kadia, a married woman, in her 40s, with children. She is a disabled business woman living in Makeni. (Kadia’s name has been changed to protect her identity)
When I heard about her case, she had been charged with receiving stolen goods, and was remanded at the Makeni Correctional Centre after she was denied bail at the Makeni Magistrate Court.
I interviewed Kadia, and she told me the allegation was false, and that she had malice with the key perpetrator – he had named Kadia as the person he had sold the stolen items to.
I conducted a follow up in court on her matter, and she was represented by AdvocAid’s Duty Counsel, CMB Jalloh at the Magistrate Court. Three of them where charged to court – the boy who had stolen the items, Kadia, and another man also named as a receiver.
I confirmed the allegation against Kadia to be false when the thief confessed in prison, in the presence of Prison Officers. Kadia remained on remand however. As evidence unfolded, Kadia was granted bail while the two other accused persons remained on remand. At the end of the Preliminary Investigation, Kadia was discharged from the matter and the magistrate recommended her to be used as a prosecution witness in the High Court. The two other accused persons were committed to the High Court for trial without bail. At this moment, I closed Kadia’s case file.
But this was not to be the end of her story.
When the matter was enlisted for trial at the High Court, Kadia was served with a copy of the indictment, ordering her to appear in court as an accused person. She came to the office and reported the matter to me. On the date of the hearing, but before the case came up in court, I spoke with the presiding Judge and State Counsel about the previous discharge of Kadia in the lower Court.
Initially, neither of them believed my representation, but I was able to take them through the court records as proof. At this point, the State Counsel dropped the charge against our client. She was subsequently called as a prosecution witness against her co-accused persons.
Kadia remains grateful to AdvocAid; she has recommended us to other clients and she is presently a member of AdvocAid’s ‘Go Bifo Women’ post-prison group in Makeni.