Dear friends,

I hope life is treating you excellently! As many of you know, I am currently pursuing one of my dreams, completing my Master’s degree in international relations in London before attending law school in the fall. I am taking some of your time today to ask for your support for Law Brigades, a community service project I have launched at my university, the London School of Economics and Political Science (LSE).

Coming to the LSE, I was determined to become involved in community service, as I was inspired by my experience with the FIU Alternative Breaks program for disadvantaged children in the Dominican Republic. Upon beginning my studies, I was shocked to realize that the study of Latin America was entirely absent from my academic curriculum in international politics. Motivated by my career goals and my personal ties to the area, I founded the Law Brigades chapter at my university, to mobilize volunteers to advance human rights and improve the quality of life in rural Panamanian communities with limited or no access to legal services. This project is especially important to me, as it will serve to call much needed attention to the analysis of the legal, socioeconomic and political issues affecting Latin America.

Through this program I, along with nine law students will work closely with Panamanian lawyers, to establish pro-bono clinics, provide legal counseling, assist with land titling applications, and host educational workshops to promote awareness of basic legal rights. Our goal is to foster economic security by helping families establish legal claim to their land, to be able to use it as collateral for loans, and facilitate the resolution of communal conflicts arising largely as a result of land disputes. Most importantly, this work will help to incorporate and empower communities with the right to receive public services and demand access to infrastructure for which they are ineligible without registered status.

My group has been fundraising through various activities in order to afford the cost of this project, which is approximately $1800 per student, and will cover the cost of legal services for the community, paperwork fees, and travel expenses for volunteers.
I would be extremely grateful for any support you could provide for my cause and my organization.

Your support would have a direct impact in the lives of individuals deprived of access to their basic rights. Also, by helping my group to promote human rights, you will contribute to the strengthening of our leadership and critical thinking skills as we gain exposure to legal issues in the developing world, and become proactive global citizens seeking to develop solutions.

Please help us by making a donation. All donations are tax-deductible, as Law Brigades is a program by the non-profit organization Global Brigades. We will proudly list your name as a sponsor of our program in our facebook page and fundraising website!

Should you have any questions regarding my organization, please do not hesitate to contact me at any time.

I thank you in advance for your time and consideration.

Yours sincerely,

Walsy

Founding President and Coordinator of Law Brigades
LSESU Global Brigades Society
44 742 942 8166
w.saez-aguirre@lse.ac.uk
http://www.globalbrigades.org/programs/law/objective/

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Law Brigades is a program of the international nonprofit, Global Brigades, the world’s largest student-led global health and sustainable development organization. In 2010, more than 4,000 volunteers from 160 GB university chapters in North America and Europe traveled to provide health and economic development solutions to more than 50,000 beneficiaries through our teams in Panama and Honduras.