Juris Law and Rights App

Mozambique has a population of just over 30 million people with over 62% of the population in rural areas. According to the Human Development Index, Mozambique is the 7th least developed country, dropping two places following the COVID-19 pandemic. And the World Bank states that 64% of Mozambicans earn less than $2 a day and are considered in poverty. On average, Mozambicans have only three years of schooling[1]. Women face additional barriers to education, and it is estimated that up to 58% of Mozambican women are illiterate.

Mozambique ranks 142 out of 180 on Transparency International’s Corruption Perceptions Index with a score of 26, indicating that it is highly corrupt. This considers various forms of corruption, including bribery, diversion of public funds, nepotism in public service roles, officials using public office for private gain without facing the consequences, the availability of information about government affairs, and whether officials must report on their finances or conflicts of interest[2]. The combination of high levels of corruption and low levels of education means that many Mozambicans are vulnerable to exploitation or violation of their rights.

With limited educational opportunities, the general population faces challenges in knowing their basic rights, so it is hard to recognize unjust situations or misinformation. This is especially true for those in rural communities as distance and limited opportunities restrain their access to information. While Portuguese is the official language in the country, there are as many as 40 local dialects. This presents yet another barrier to people knowing their rights as the legal language is complex and requires very high proficiency in Portuguese to decipher.  All of this creates an environment for corruption to thrive as people in power repeatedly take advantage of others, regardless of the protections laid out in Mozambican law.

[1] UN Human Development Reports, 2021: https://hdr.undp.org/data-center/specific-country-data#/countries/MOZ

[2] Transparency International, 2022: https://www.transparency.org/en/cpi/2022/index/moz

The Juris app explains Mozambican law using text, images, and audio to make the information easy to understand by a wide audience. Our work aims to promote education and transparency to fight corruption and exploitation by making Mozambican law widely available in an app that uses simplified language. This technological innovation empowers people to have unlimited access to accurate and trustworthy information. Currently, the app covers family law, land rights, consumer law, driving law, and worker law. The Juris app is optimized to function entirely offline after the initial download for users who have limited internet access, such as those in rural areas.

Juris has been downloaded 20,507 times to date and 98.7% of those downloads are in our target area of Mozambique. The capital, Maputo, has the highest number of users, with 8,475 people, followed by the Nampula and Sofala Provinces. Our work contributes to preventing gender-based violence and promoting gender equity, as the family law section covers the law surrounding domestic violence, divorce, and the prohibition of child marriage. Another key area is the traffic law, which includes the fees for common traffic violations to prevent corruption in unjust fines by defining what constitutes each offense and the maximum fine for each.

The project is in the second phase where we are both updating the app content to include additional laws and integrating Juris with a complaints and feedback mechanism that connects users to a support network. It is not enough for someone to recognize that their rights are being violated, they need a way to take action to change that unjust situation. We are building a feature where users can submit incident reports based on the area of law where their rights are being violated and be connected with the proper organization, government branch, or lawyer that can help them. Initial tests of this feature received as many as 50 requests a day, showing the demand and need for this important link in the market.

In addition to the Juris app, the project includes educational campaigns in a variety of formats to reach people that do not have smartphones. We are forming partnerships with radio stations to broadcast messages about human rights as they relate to different aspects of the law and with theater groups to make skits that provide examples of situations that go against the law and what actions to take. Teams travel to schools to give presentations to inform children and youth of their rights and to rural communities to speak with people and respond to their questions, facilitating connections to our support network when possible. We also do social media campaigns to spread the word about the app and respond to common questions about Mozambican law with videos and posts on different platforms.

The Juris app is for all Mozambicans, and we focus on ways to include the most vulnerable populations such as children, women, and rural communities. These groups are at a higher risk of exploitation as they have less voice in society and, therefore, less power. They have lower access to education to be able to know their rights and typically fewer financial resources to be able to find solutions to legal issues.

About half (50.4%) of the population of Mozambique have a mobile connection. 6.72 million or 21.2% of the population has internet access and 3.00 million use social media as of January 2021 (according to datareportal). While this seems low, the number of internet users rose over 25% in 2021, compared to a population growth of 2.9%, and 97.4% of internet users in Mozambique access it via mobile phone.

The app is optimized for offline use and we do provide internet access during in-person presentations to allow people with smartphones to download the app at zero cost. Educational campaigns in other formats such as radio and theater are very important to ensure that people without access to a smartphone are not excluded from learning about their rights.

In the next phase, we are exploring the addition of an AI chatbox through WhatsApp. In Mozambique, many cell phone networks provide access to WhatsApp texts for free even when the user is out of megabytes for data. This would provide an offline option for users to connect with the support network and receive answers to specific questions that may not be covered in the app. 

Assoçiação Empoderando Moçambique (Equip Mozambique in English, AEM) is a registered Mozambican association formed in March 2014 to raise up Mozambican leaders to find creative and holistic solutions to transform the systemic problems that plague their nation. AEM was co-founded by Jon Reinagel, an American tech and business specialist who moved to Mozambique with his family in 2014 after serving as a missionary there for 3 years. AEM’s mission is to break the cycles of poverty by educating, equipping, and empowering Mozambican leaders to bring change to their communities. This is done by forming partnerships for local projects. 

In addition to the Juris project, AEM has projects in the areas of women empowerment through a sewing school, app and systems development through our tech team, entrepreneurship training from our innovation center, and a library for educational growth. Our priority is to address poverty with an integrated approach, building people up with solutions that address their holistic needs in order to truly thrive. In addition to our dedicated staff, we maintain partnerships with individual consultants and organizations who are like-minded in helping their communities.

As an organization, we prioritize reaching underserved populations, including remote communities that are cut off from other types of assistance, widows and other vulnerable women, as well as entrepreneurs and students who have limited opportunities and resources. Mozambican leaders develop our programs to help others in their communities. They cast the vision for what we do. Equip actively seeks partnerships with Mozambicans who want to make a difference and find ways to strengthen and support them to carry out their activities.

Equip Mozambique is one of the few African tech organizations actively producing apps with a full in-country team. Equip’s IT team has developed 7 apps to date, including Juris. What makes us unique is that we have a diverse team of Mozambican programmers, developers, graphic designers, and media specialists to enable us to do all of the development in-house at our office in Beira, Mozambique. We live in the context we design for and know the constraints and how to optimize our tech for Mozambique.

The Juris project started as a joint initiative between AEM and AMAC, an association of Mozambican lawyers who wanted a way to make law information available 24/7. For the second phase of the project, we are responding to the dire need for a way to connect people with cases to support services for the different law areas, as evidenced by the high number of requests received from users. We continuously gather user and community feedback on the project and place these comments in the backend of the app to be included in future updates.

Our team excels on the technical side, and we have a proven product which is advancing in the market. We know that the Juris app meets a need and are working on updates to expand our partner network to reopen the complaints mechanism feature and connect people in need with legal experts and existing assistance programs. There are four major ways we are looking for help from Solve outside of funding:

1. Experienced counsel in how to navigate private/public partnerships. We have made our first major connections with TV programs and government offices in the past few months, and we want to expand in ways that benefit each group. However, in a country where corruption is rife, we also want to approach the law and our partnerships in a way that brings the community together instead of dividing them. We are looking for experienced mentors who have either had to navigate social change due to an innovation or challenging government partnerships.
2. Connections with other countries and individuals seeking to bring justice through technology. We have connections in Mozambique, but our team feels like what we are doing here can be so much larger if given the right opportunities. Grassroots organizations have the advantage of making lasting change as they are already aware of the different cultural, political, and social influences of their context, and they have ongoing relationships with the local community. AEM would love to connect with similar organizations to see what strategies could be adapted to the context of Mozambique. It would also be great to receive counsel for best practices in connecting with different levels of government as we seek ways to integrate them with our support network.
3. With the development of the support network, we are exploring the benefits of using anonymous submissions or having users register in the app. Advice in this area and legal support for how to best handle sensitive issues would be appreciated. While Mozambique has little governance for data protection and privacy, AEM aims to uphold European tech standards and work in an ethical manner. We would appreciate working with tech experts to ensure our data is secure and that our users are protected when they submit complaints through Juris.
4. Innovative funding solutions – as we seek to sustain Juris in the long run, we have realized the need for an innovative funding model. Ads, premium subscriptions, and selling data are all out of the picture for the current reality in Mozambique and the project. We would love to get help with innovative methods to carry this work forward.

While Mozambican law is technically available online, it is not available in an organized way and it uses complicated legal language. Laws are categorized by the date published as opposed to content and it is difficult to know if the one you are reviewing has been amended in other publications. The constant availability and simplicity of the laws in the Juris app are a vast improvement that makes this information accessible to a much larger population. 

 This Juris app is the first of its kind and has the potential to drastically change the quality of life in Mozambique, especially after the full integration of the complaint’s mechanism and support network. Juris provides accountability. For example, information on the maximum costs of fines reduces bribery and store owners who sell defective products must comply with consumer law and provide replacements for their customers. We expect such actions to reduce corruption throughout the country. It is harder for someone to take advantage of another person when they know their rights and the laws that support them.

By bringing together partners who work in different areas of the law for the support network, we are building a community that shares the same vision. There are various actors working to promote human rights in Mozambique, but they are often isolated, and it may be difficult for people in need to locate them. When connected to the Juris app, users can easily find their information which expands their reach. Additionally, there is a law in Mozambique that prevents lawyers from advertising their law specialty, so when they participate in Juris, they are listed under their specialization, which makes it much easier for potential clients to find them. This makes the market more efficient as people in need can easily tell where they must go for help, and the different actors in the support network have a simple way to connect with the people they want to assist.

1. There is reduced corruption and exploitation in Mozambique.

The project’s overall goal is to make societal changes that lower corruption. A mix of education and being able to take action to change unjust situations will lower the number of incidents over time. Such changes take a long time to come to fruition, but we know this tool has the potential to make huge changes in Mozambican society. When the complaints mechanism and support network are fully functional, this will directly address this goal.

 2. The general population in Mozambique knows their rights.

A key aspect of the project is education. Right now, many people do not know their rights, especially in areas where the law may differ from traditional beliefs, such as the division of assets after a divorce. Child marriage is forbidden by law, yet it still occurs in many rural communities. When a large part of the population has few opportunities for education and literacy, they are vulnerable to exploitation. Education is one of the first steps to take to empower people to stand up for justice. The entire Juris project, including the app, media campaigns, and in-person presentations, educates different populations about their rights.

 3. The different actors working for social justice are unified.

This is another goal for the support network, to unite the different stakeholders working for social justice in Mozambique. Many people share the vision of taking action to support the human rights of vulnerable populations, but most are working independently. By forming partnerships, we can then have a greater say to advocate for new laws, support civic education projects, and improve the work of all actors in the justice system.

4. The quality of life for Mozambicans continues to improve.

The ultimate goal of Juris, and all AEM projects, is to improve the quality of life for Mozambicans. We take a holistic mindset, seeing how many different areas work together to bring stability and peace of mind. Justice is just one of the areas that need to improve to bring hope and transformation into Mozambique. Our desire is to continue to support Mozambican leaders through partnerships that bring systemic change to improve life in Mozambique. 

• # of people reached through digital media campaigns, Goal: 1,000
• # of in-person advocacy presentations completed, Goal: 15
• # of incident reports received, Goal: 300
• # of incident reports shared with an appropriate partner and initiated, Goal: 200
• # new governmental or organizational partnerships added into a support network, Goal: 4
• # of new laws added to Juris, Goal: 6 
• % increase in yearly Juris app downloads, Goal: 80%
• Star rating on app store, Goal: 4.7

The above list includes the indicators we are currently measuring with the goals for one year from now. The team prepares internal reports monthly with the latest app analytics and every three months for the marketing campaigns and field activities to measure progress over time. We use a mixed-methods approach to monitoring, capturing user feedback,  forming community focus groups, holding interviews with key stakeholders, and using interactive activities to capture qualitative and quantitative data. We ensure that our lessons learned incorporate community feedback and are recorded so that future updates and project phases follow the vision of the people we serve and help them meet their needs in the most effective way. 

The outline below shows the outcomes, outputs, and activities for the project. The Juris project addresses two steps in the justice system. The first is education, to inform the general population of Mozambique of their rights. This allows people to recognize injustices around them. The second is to take action, and we are doing that by forming the support network and adding a complaints mechanism into the Juris app that connects users with the appropriate partner for assistance.

• Increase knowledge of Mozambican law and human rights
  • Increase app usage via marketing campaigns via targeted ads and social media
    • Develop marketing materials for young adults and urban areas
    • Place targeted ads for the Juris app
  • Promote knowledge about Mozambican law through in-person presentations, radio spots, and social media
    • Develop marketing materials for general human rights, rights of children, women empowerment, and community rights
    • Visit schools and other public places to give targeted presentations on human rights and Mozambican law
    • Use radio networks and social media to spread awareness of people’s rights and the law
• Increase accountability with an integrated complaints mechanism and support network
  • Develop a support network of dedicated partners to respond to the requests from the reporting mechanism
    • Conduct a survey of what areas the complaints mechanism should focus on based on what issues are most common
    • Meet and recruit potential partners to respond to incidents
    • Host partner meeting with all potential partners
    • Integrate partner information into the app
    • Ensure requests received in the app are shared with appropriate partners and addressed
• Improve Juris app functionality and user-friendliness
  • Expand Juris app content
    • Add content for new laws
    • Add additional images, audio, and videos to explain the law
  • Improve the Juris app based on user feedback
    • Review feedback from the Play store and Facebook about Juris
    • Update the app in response to feedback already received
    • Continue to record feedback into the app backlog

At Empoderando, we believe that knowledge is power. Information technology has turned general information in the developed world from expensive to virtually free; however, this revolution has yet to hit countries like Mozambique. Even basic knowledge about rights is almost nonexistent. With the advent of smartphones, it is possible to reach almost 20% of the population of the entire country with the same information. This technology has yet to be utilized in such a powerful way in Mozambique.

More important than basic information is the knowledge of where to go if your rights are being violated. If someone is trying to take your land, do you go to the police? Land office? A Lawyer? Where do you turn if you have been sexually abused? These questions are extremely difficult, and people just don't care until it happens to them or someone they know. Juris uses information technology to connect the person who has been abused directly to the people and departments who can help them and explains the next steps to them in a simple and straightforward method.

We are also using the benefit of the anonymity of apps to report behavior that violates standards like sexual harassment, workplace assault, and bribery. Individuals may not be able to report these events directly, especially when these actions are taken by those in authority. However, they can make the complaint anonymously on the app, and the situation can be picked up and investigated by the appropriate authorities.

AEM has a commitment to equitable and inclusive programming to bring innovative, holistic, and long-lasting solutions to systemic problems in Mozambique. We believe that every person has inherent value and regard everyone as equal. While the majority of team members for this project are men, AEM has other projects, namely a sewing school, that are majority female, working primarily with widows and other vulnerable women. Women hold other positions of leadership in AEM such as in accounting and administration. AEM is seeking qualified female IT experts to join the team and currently has one woman intern in IT.

AEM is a Christian organization with staff from various denominations and brings together people of varying economic backgrounds and age groups. Our work focuses on empowering Mozambicans and the vast majority of our staff, including those in leadership positions, are Mozambican. AEM does not tolerate any form of discrimination or harassment due to someone’s nationality, race, religious beliefs, gender, age, political views, or disability. 

We aim to provide an inclusive environment for all staff and beneficiaries and ensure that participant selection for all our programs prioritizes needs-based selection criteria. Our projects equip Mozambican leaders to help promote change in their own communities and dismantle the societal and systemic barriers that hinder a just and peaceful society for everyone.

Empoderando Moçambique is a non-profit organization. We want to keep Juris free to download as an educational tool and are exploring methods of monetization that would work well in Mozambique. This is the issue that we are most looking for the Solve program to help with, because we want to keep the app free for the user to access legal information and for clarification of complicated laws. We can measure this user value through personal testimonials, questionnaires, and the analytics for app users.

Our key resources are licensed lawyers, programmers, computers, finances for salaries, and finances for marketing using our current grants. We are actively seeking out partnerships for the next phase, and currently have AMAC, the provincial anti-corruption department, University of Zambezia, Sofala Radio Station, Academic TV Station, and multiple theatrical groups committed to Juris. Some of these partnerships will require funding such as for the media spots on TV and radio programs. We are looking at indirect funding models through sponsorships and publicity.

The following are being investigated:

We are looking to provide advertisement for lawyers and law firms through the app. In Mozambique, it is illegal for lawyers to promote their services, however, we can ask them to contribute to the law knowledge on the app and then have their contact information directly on the app for their contributions. This way, they will already be set up as the expert in their field, and people can directly get in touch with them after reading about the particular law. This adds value for both lawyers and their clients, and either the lawyer or the client could pay for such a service.

We are also looking for organizational sponsorship. Organizations can sponsor an entire category of law, and their ads can be published in this section of app. We are looking for car companies to sponsor the road law portion, providers of high-quality goods to sponsor the consumer rights section, and Organizational safety organizations to support the Employment Law section. This offers visibility to sponsors as well as building client trust. For example, customers will trust companies that sponsor Juris as they know they are accountable in accordance with the law.

  With additional funding, Juris can expand to provide additional law educational campaigns for those who do not easily have access to the app, expand Juris services, and offer subsidies for legal services for the most vulnerable persons seeking assistance. 

The Juris project is currently funded through multiple grants, and this covers the bulk of the development and marketing costs. AEM as an organization is partly funded by donations and these help to offset some of the Juris project costs. Additionally, the tech team provide other services such as website development that is a charged service to help offset the costs of other work. The initial development of the app, and now the planned changes for the second phase, are the costliest aspects of the project; long-term app maintenance will be greatly reduced, meaning that even as we increase the number of users, our running costs will be lower in the future than they currently are. AEM will continue to seek grants and obtain donations to support Juris and other programs.

As we form the partnership network, we are looking for potential synergies with other organizations, government partners, and lawyers that would consider paying to be featured in the app. AEM would like to have some of these partners paying for the Juris service to allow us to continue to offer the app services free to users in an indirect funding model. By being a Juris partner, they are guaranteed to connect with clients in need for their specific area of work. This is a huge benefit for partners to extend their visibility and impact. Juris is also appealing to multiple government agencies such as the anticorruption and traffic departments, as they work to reduce bribes, corruption, and exploitation throughout the country to sponsor Juris.

The team has also considered offering paid services through Juris, such as being able to pay a small fee to download the full text of a specific law as categorized in the app, which is an advantage over the current system provided by the government. Another possibility would be to leverage our user base for data collection, such as by offering to conduct surveys through the app and charging a fee to receive this data. Placing generic ads is not lucrative in Mozambique; however, targeted ads paid for by specific contracts with organizations are a solid way to fund portions of the app.

This mixed-method approach will ensure that all aspects of the Juris project are sustainable.

To date, the Juris project has received a grant of $9,580 from Woord em Daad in 2020 for the initial app development and a $15,000 Mozilla IRL grant, starting in 2023 which is being used for the second phase updates.

 As we have a dedicated tech team, they regularly work on other projects and services. For example, the team build websites for clients inside and outside of Mozambique. These paid services allow us to continue to do our humanitarian work by bringing in income to the organization and team. The amount depends on the number of clients assisted per month; hence it is not a steady income which is why the team is still dependent on the general organizational budget as well. As mentioned previously, AEM is a nonprofit organization, and part of the yearly budget does come from donations to the organization. We continue to seek other funding streams to further solidify Juris’s sustainability.