The Child’s Journey®
Highlights from The Child’s Journey – August 2023
Without intervention, children of prisoners are susceptible to exploitation, poverty, dropping out of school and criminal activity. Together we can stand in the gap to keep them from falling through the cracks of society and giving them a chance for a brighter future beyond the cycle of crime.
Keep reading to see how together we are helping children of prisoners live safer, healthier lives!
Families in Cambodia received supplemental food and other supplies during a recent community event.
Children of prisoners are already at a higher risk of poverty and hunger. Having a parent in prison often means that the remaining parent is struggling as the sole breadwinner of the family. The inflation of the past year has exacerbated this issue by causing the cost of food staples to rise above what many families in Cambodia can afford. The Prison Fellowship Cambodia team has distributed life-giving food support to hundreds of children enrolled in the program this year. They often use these distributions to provide additional items such as hygiene kits, school supplies and bicycles to students who live far from their school.
The Colombia team has been hard at work coordinating events with local health professionals to provide health checks. Helping children maintain their health and wellbeing is one of the key areas that The Child’s Journey provides assistance. In addition to providing nutritious food, necessary interventions such as parasite treatments, access to routine illness prevention and emergency medical care, the team regularly provides standard health checks for each child enrolled in the program.
Regular health checks include:
– Taking records of the child’s height and weight
– Checking the child’s blood pressure, vision, and hearing
– Giving the opportunity for the caregiver to ask the health provider any questions that they may have regarding the child’s health
– Providing illness prevention measures, such as deworming treatments
– Performing an age-appropriate physical exam
– Making referrals for any observed medical issues
A family smiles together during a prison visit facilitated by Prison Fellowship Malawi.
Now that COVID restrictions have eased across the country, prisons throughout Malawi are once again open for visitors and Prison Fellowship Malawi has been hard at work reconnecting families. The reunions are full of joy and the children treasure the time that they get to spend with their parent. Through such efforts, families are reunited and encouraged, making it more likely that if the parent is released, they will have a supportive community to return to. This is a key factor in helping prisoners rebuild their lives after incarceration and helping them break the cycle of crime.
Click the video above to watch Kevin’s testimony.
From hopelessness to hope filled – you are making stories like Kevin’s possible in the lives of more than 1,100 chidlren across Rwanda. Kevin has been enrolled in The Child’s Journey for the past five years while his father has been incarcerated. He shared his moving testimony during an event hosted by Prison Fellowship Rwanda and described how the care of The Child’s Journey completely changed his life. Click on the video above to learn more!
Children of prisoners often face social isolation due to having a parent in prison. The remaining caregiver often struggles to find time to help their children with homework or Bible studies. All children need a community of care in order to thrive, which is why community mentoring is such a key part of The Child’s Journey. Each month, children in the program are mentored by a local volunteer mentor. These mentor visits can serve many purposes – assisting with schoolwork, leading a Bible study, or teaching health and safety lessons. The children anticipate these monthly meetings and, for many, their mentors become part of a family to help them through this vulnerable part of their journey. The mentor team in Togo provides encouragement and support to hundreds of children each quarter. Pictured: A boy draws a map of Togo during a tutoring session with his community mentor.
Families in Zambia attend a health and safety training course.
Health and safety are crucial for all children, but children of prisoners often find themselves struggling in these areas due to economic and environmental factors. This is why Prison Fellowship Zambia developed a health and safety training program that is being delivered in the communities of children enrolled in The Child’s Journey. This provides caseworkers with the opportunity to provide the children and caregivers with mentoring on how to take precautions against illness and harm.
Interested in learning more or helping even more children? CLICK HERE.