Global Alliance for Legal Aid

GALA supports access to legal aid for the poor and public interest advocacy in developing countries. GALA works with local lawyers and human rights advocates in developing countries; supporting their work to provide legal services to the poor.

GALA is a fairly new non profit corporation, which was established in 2013 by an American lawyer working with jurists in Africa, Asia and LAC who wanted to provide pro bono legal services to the poor, but lacked time and the necessary funds (lawyers in developing countries do not generally make a lot of money and frequently work 2 or 3 jobs to support their extended families). 

GALA is currently advocating for the rights of thousands of the poor in Uganda who were victimized by criminals pretending to be micro finance.  And, GALA is also working in the Eastern Caribbean on prison reform and legal aid.  In 2016, GALA has plans to work in Asia as well.

To date, GALA has never received donor funds.  Instead,  it is funded by its founder, and it has also established a relationship with an artisanal roaster of fair trade, Arabic coffee grown by small holder Ugandan farmers in Mbale, Uganda.  The Thanksgiving Coffee Company of California buys the entire Ugandan coffee crop from these farmers and roasts it in CA.  Thanksgiving allows GALA to sell the coffee using its private GALA label in order to raise funds to support legal aid in Uganda and to support economic development in the country. GALA also publishes details of the case or legal aid initiative on the coffee package so as to help the public understand why access to justice and legal aid are important components of functioning societies.

GALA receives 25% of the proceeds from all coffee sales.  100% of those funds are allocated to GALA's legal aid initiatives.

Coffee can be bought online here: https://store.thanksgivingcoffee.com/gala-coffee-online-store-c111.aspx 

GALA has plans to develop and sell other fair trade products from countries where GAlA is working on access to justice issues.  Thus, look for GALA rum from Grenada next!