The ILBF is very fortunate to have had tremendous support from across the legal community over the last 15 months which has kept our shipments on track. One group that has made a huge contribution this year is law students. Students from five universities have packed an impressive total of 228 boxes which amounts to over 2,000 books.

Students and their pro bono societies have navigated Covid in accordance with Covid regulations and the restrictions placed upon them by their universities. This naturally threw up any number of challenges. However, they have shown excellent professionalism and commitment to pro bono as well as great problem solving skills. It is thanks to their efforts, and those of other book donors, that the ILBF has been able to continue to ship books during the pandemic.

The 228 boxes packed by the students are for 8 organisations in Tanzania, Ethiopia, Uganda, Ghana and Nigeria. The books will be supporting law students at universities in Ethiopia, Ghana, Tanzania and Uganda, and pro bono organisations in Nigeria and Tanzania.

As at the end of July, all of the shipments are either en route, or about to leave the UK. We’ll provide more updates as the books arrive.

A generous grant from Latham & Watkins has helped to fund these shipments from the universities, and the ILBF is extremely grateful for the support of Latham & Watkins.

Here is what the students have achieved:

• King’s College London Law Society Pro Bono Committee: student volunteers packed 148 boxes at The Treasury (donated by The Treasury) for Tanzania
• University of Cambridge Law Society Pro Bono Committee: collected and packed 50 boxes for Ethiopia, 10 boxes for Uganda, and also collected a further 63 boxes for a future shipment
• University of Exeter JLAP group: collected and packed 6 boxes for Tanzania
• University of Oxford JLAP group: collected and packed 5 boxes for Nigeria
• University of Surrey JLAP group: collected and packed 9 boxes for Ghana

There are too many students to thank individually in this short article. Hopefully the quotes and photos will help to bring to life their hard work and their commitment to our cause and pro bono generally.  

‘It’s been an absolute pleasure to volunteer for the ILBF project. It has been a long journey, but it was amazing to see our efforts and plans finally come into fruition when we were able to step back and see all our books packed and ready to go. ILBF, even through a pandemic and over Zoom, brought us together as a team, forming new friendships, and brought our university community together, from college librarians to student volunteers. We are so excited to see the organisations in Ethiopia and Uganda receive the books and are so proud to have been a part of a project that promotes access to justice and legal education at its heart.’

Amelia Quince, Cambridge University Law Society Pro Bono team

‘Despite the Covid-19 restrictions, members of our society went above and beyond to get involved this year. By partnering with ILBF, we have been allowed to give back to the wider legal community. The KCL Law Society could not be happier to be involved with an organisation that provides such meaningful opportunities. Here in the society, we are excited for all the future initiatives with ILBF, and we would encourage any other student society to get involved.’

James Yang, KCL Law Society

‘As the University of Exeter’s JLAP group, we hope to help law students and projects across the world in any way we can. Increasing access to justice is a core aim of JLAP, and donating these books was something we were keen to do. We hope that the books come in handy and are looking forward to working with the ILBF in the future.’ 

Diana Ciurezu and Joel Crisp, University of Exeter JLAP group

‘Working with ILBF on our book drive has been a smooth and rewarding experience for OxJLAP members, despite the challenges of organising it throughout lockdown. ILBF’s assistance throughout every step of the project has been invaluable. Here at OxJLAP, we are grateful for the chance to help ILBF support the rule of law in Nigeria and excited about the opportunities the books we collected can provide for their recipients. It has been a pleasure to continue our growth with such an outstanding charity. We cannot wait for more meaningful partnerships with ILBF in the future.’

Maria Koniarz and the OxJLAP team

‘Working with the ILBF is an experience I will treasure dearly. As the books collected will enhance educational experiences of the next generation of future lawyers, such a feeling is enriching beyond words.’

Dayna Wadia, University of Surrey JLAP group

A huge thank you to all of the students for their support this year for the ILBF. We are looking forward to working with the student groups in the next academic year, and hopefully welcoming new ones!