Success Story for Masinga’s Family
When Mr. Masinga was arrested in 2017 in Ndola, his wife had no knowledge about the arrest. She was just informed that her husband was incarcerated in the police cells after he was found with stolen items.
This sent a huge shock to Mrs. Masinga and her two children because they never expected such a thing from him. This news was very difficult for his wife to comprehend. Mrs. Masinga did not know how to explain the whole situation to her family and friends because she was afraid of the shame this was going to bring to her, having a husband in prison.
As the day for her husband to appear in court came, she was even more worried about how the case was going to end. After a number of court sessions, her husband was sentenced to five years in prison. Having children to take care of was going to be even more challenging if she was running a side business. She thought of how she was going to manage to take the children to school even if they were still in primary school, she wondered how she was going to manage to buy books, uniforms, shoes, and how she would be paying for their school fees.
Mrs. Masinga decided to take her children to her mother because she felt she was more able to take care of them than herself. After her husband was sentenced to five years imprisonment she became a laughing stock in the community.
On a particular day as PF Zambia was recruiting children of prisoners in prisons, they heard about Mr. Masinga’s family. After that recruiting process, the staff from PF Zambia called Mrs. Masinga, who was scared because she thought her husband was in trouble in prison. But PF Zambia staff explained everything to her and told her that they got the contact details from her husband in prison. She was then told to meet with PF Zambia staff together with her two children to enroll her children in the program.
PF Zambia staff explained the program to her and her children. Mrs. Masinga thought this was just a lie. However, good things started happening in her family’s lives as PF Zambia started paying school fees, they brought all school requirements, and this was a very big relief for her. A month later food supplements were brought and things started changing slowly in their lives. Mrs. Masinga was very happy as PF Zambia had a Bible study in her community and she would also attend the Bible study meetings. This encouraged her and changed her behavior.
Mr. Masinga was released from Prison on African freedom day on May 25, 2020. After his release from prison, he found that his children were already in the program. He was so happy that he even gained courage and confidence in doing business. Mr. Masinga came out a changed man because of what he went through in prison.