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.
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!
While the children are the primary beneficiaries of The Child’s Journey, their caregivers are also empowered in a number of ways through the program. This includes initiatives such as caregiver support groups, health trainings and livelihood programs that may be offered in their country. However, the most important way that you are empowering caregivers is by providing them with the Word of God in their heart language. Bibles in the Cambodian language of Khmer can be hard to find and prohibitively expensive for most of the families that Prison Fellowship Cambodia works with. Caregivers are overjoyed to receive these precious resources and join with their children in learning more about the Bible.
Efforts like these also give the teams the chance to fellowship with the caregivers, check in and pray with them. Check out the video below to see a beautiful moment of prayer between the Prison Fellowship Cambodia team and the grandmother of a child in The Child’s Journey.
A Prison Fellowship Colombia caseworker visits children in school to check on their progress
Ensuring that a child is able to attend school is integral to opening the doors for them to have future opportunities. With children back in the classroom, caseworkers are once again able to conduct school visits for children enrolled in The Child’s Journey. These check-ins are a way for the caseworker to confirm that the child is attending school, able to safely travel to school and that they are equipped with the supplies that they need in order to thrive in their classes. It also allows for fruitful conversations with their teachers, who become part of a child’s ‘community of care’.
A home that was destroyed by the cyclone is rebuilt by the Malawi team
One of the primary challenges facing children of prisoners in Malawi is a lack of safe housing. Many caregivers, left to provide on their own, do not have the means to perform necessary home maintenance like patching roofs or fixing cracked walls. These issues were compounded following Cyclone Freddy, which completely leveled thousands of mud brick homes across the country. The Prison Fellowship Malawi team has made it a priority in recent months to ensure that families are able to quickly rebuild their homes in order to give children a safe and stable place to live. For some, this includes completing tasks like patching holes in roofs or installing doors. For others, this includes completely rebuilding the home from the ground up, like the home pictured above.
My name is Francoise. When my husband was imprisoned in 2009, he left me with seven children. Our youngest child was only one month old at the time. I was depressed. I had nothing to feed my children and I wondered how I would care for them alone. Everything was chaos.
My one comfort is that I am a believer. Jesus is my shepherd, my savior and my hope. Psalm 4:9 has comforted me during these long 14 years that my husband has been imprisoned. Many temptations have come on my way. People offered me money to do immoral, illegal things. But I remember Psalm 4:9 – In peace I will lie down and sleep, for you alone, LORD, make me dwell in safety. So, no one could deceive me.
I thought I could not manage to feed all of my children and pay school fees alone, but God had mercy on me. He sent Prison Fellowship Rwanda to help provide for our needs. They made sure that we had food and that my children were healthy and in school, but the greatest gift was my very own Bible. I read it daily and pray to God and thank him for his many blessings.
Thank you for the best gift of this Bible that you have given to us. In it we survive. It comforts the widows and prisoners. Pictured: Francoise reads her new Bible
Children in Togo give a thumbs up as they receive new school kits.
With a primary provider absent, families face new challenges and daily hardship, leaving many children of prisoners in Togo financially unable to afford basic school supplies. Your support ensures that your sponsored child in Togo receives resources, tools and the support needed to thrive in school. Earlier this year, the field teams gathered school supplies and backpacks to create school kits that they distributed to children at community events and individual home visits. This quarter, the team in Togo has distributed school kits to more than one hundred school-aged children in their program.
TCJ children gather to participate as part of the Day Of The African Child parade in Zambia
Since 1991, June 16th has been deemed the Day of the African Child in order to commemorate the 1976 uprising by students in South Africa against apartheid oppression. Across Africa, children participate in parades, rallies and other events to bring awareness to the rights and needs of African children. Prison Fellowship Zambia gathered together children in their program to participate in their local parade. This year’s theme was “the right of the child in the digital environment” and discussion focused on how to protect children from a predatory digital landscape and how to leverage technology to increase job opportunities for young people.
Interested in learning more or helping even more children? CLICK HERE.
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!
A caseworker in Cambodia leading a health and safety training course with TCJ families.
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 Cambodia developed a health and safety training program that is being delivered in the communities of children enrolled in The Child’s Journey.This training has the dual purpose of allowing the caseworker to ensure that the child is living in stable, safe conditions, while also giving them the opportunity to provide the children with additional mentoring in how to take precautions against illness and harm.
Click the image above to see a video recap from a recent community event.
Children of prisoners often face social stigma in their communities. This isolation can be detrimental to the well-being of children who need to be surrounded by a community of care. One of the program goals of The Child’s Journey is to provide opportunities for community engagement and mentorship to each child. One way that Prison Fellowship Colombia does this is through community lunches. These lunches have enabled PFC to gain the trust and respect of the community. They feed everyone; you do not need to be a program beneficiary to participate. Children in The Child’s Journey can connect with their peers and caregivers can meet with other parents in the surrounding community to build a network of care for both them and their child. This allows them to have a support system both within and outside of the program that has been built by community gatherings.
Every child deserves the chance to learn and grow through education. In the wake of Cyclone Freddy, families have faced new challenges and daily hardship, leaving many children of prisoners in Malawi without basic school supplies or the ability to purchase them. Your support ensures that children in Malawi receive resources, tools and the support needed to thrive in school. Earlier this year, the field teams gathered school supplies and backpacks to create school kits that they distributed to children at The Child’s Journey community events and individual home visits. In recent months, the team in Malawi has distributed more than 400 school kits to school-aged children. Pictured: A girl in Malawi stands with the bicycle that she received from The Child’s Journey.
Children of prisoners often face social isolation due to having a parent in prison. With their remaining caregiver struggling as the sole provider for the family, it means that they have less ability to provide time for their children. 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 Rwanda provides encouragement and support to more than 1,200 children each quarter. Pictured: A TCJ mentor in Rwanda smiles with her mentees.
A caseworker in Togo completes a home visit assessment with a family.
Child home and community visits are key for program implementation and success for children in the program. These quarterly visits are an opportunity for the staff to meet with children and their caregivers, come to a full understanding of their specific needs and interact with other members of the child’s community. During these visits, program staff share their vision and work with the members of the community to promote healthy approaches to released prisoner re-integration. It is common for released inmates and their families to be rejected, stigmatized or even held in contempt within their communities. Interviews and meetings with community members help promote a change in perception about these families.
Children in Zambia smile as they receive their new school kits.
Every child deserves the chance to learn and grow through education. With a primary provider absent, families face new challenges and daily hardship, leaving many children of prisoners in Zambia financially unable to afford basic school supplies. Your support ensures that children in Zambia receives resources, tools and the support needed to thrive in school. Earlier this year, Prison Fellowship Zambia field teams gathered school supplies and backpacks to create school kits that they distributed to children at community events and individual home visits. This quarter, the team in Zambia has distributed hundreds of school kits to school-aged children in the program.
Interested in learning more or helping even more children? CLICK HERE.
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!
Click on the video above to see Chhanun reading from his new Bible.
Part of the services provided by The Child’s Journey includes providing each child and their caregiver with age-appropriate Scripture resources in their heart language. More than 500 children in Cambodia and their caregivers have received these precious resources in just the past three months, and they are thrilled to begin exploring God’s Word. For many, this is the first time that they have been able to read the Gospel, as Christians represent a tiny fraction of the population of Cambodia and it can be difficult to find Bibles translated into the language of Khmer. Check out the video above to see Chhanun in Cambodia reading from the book of Genesis in his new Bible!
A family in Colombia prays with TCJ staff during a child home visit.
Child home and community visits are key for program implementation and success for children in the program. These quarterly visits are an opportunity for the staff to meet with children and their caregivers, come to a full understanding of their specific needs and interact with other members of the child’s community. During these visits, program staff share their vision and work with the members of the community to promote healthy approaches to released prisoner re-integration. It is common for released inmates and their families to be rejected or even held in contempt within their communities. Interviews and meetings with community members help promote a change in perception about these families. Each quarter, the team in Colombia completes more than 900 child home visits.
Click on the video above to see children in Malawi receiving new school kits!
Every child deserves the chance to learn and grow through education. In the wake of Cyclone Freddy, families have faced new challenges and daily hardship, leaving many children of prisoners in Malawi without basic school supplies or the ability to purchase them. Your support ensures that your sponsored child in Malawi receives resources, tools and the support needed to thrive in school. Earlier this year, the field teams gathered school supplies and backpacks to create school kits that they distributed to children at The Child’s Journey community events and individual home visits. In recent months, the team in Malawi has distributed more than 400 school kits to school-aged children.
Claudine is the mother to five children – four boys and one girl. When her husband was arrested and sent to prison, she was left to care for her children alone. It felt like a nightmare. Her husband had left her physically alone, and because of the shame of his crimes, she felt abandoned by her community as well.
Claudine struggled to care for her children and provide for them, as they were too young to stay alone while she was at work. Claudine was also crushed by the constant reminders of her status in her community. One day, overwhelmed by her emotions of shame and despair, Claudine tried to take her own life. By God’s grace, the sound of her youngest son crying brought her back to reality, and she was not able to go through with it. It was in that moment that Claudine realized it is only God who wipes away her sorrow. Pictured: Claudine (right) with three of her children and a PFI staff member.
A group of children in Togo give a thumbs up after receiving new food supplies.
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 to be 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 Togo can afford. Because of this, the need for supplemental food support increased for the families served by The Child’s Journey. The Prison Fellowship Togo team has distributed life-giving food support to hundreds of children enrolled in the program this year. They often used these distributions to provide additional items such as hygiene kits and school supplies. Such efforts help the children lead healthy lives.
A group of TCJ children gather outside the bus to visit their incarcerated fathers.
With the easing of most COVID restrictions throughout the country, Prison Fellowship Zambia is once again able to facilitate prison visits for families in The Child’s Journey. For many of the children, this is their first time communicating with their loved one since before the start of the pandemic. The reunions are full of joy and the children treasure the time that they get to spend with their parent. Through such efforts, families can be 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.
Interested in learning more or helping even more children? CLICK HERE.
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!
When a parent goes to prison, their children are at a higher risk of dropping out of school due to poverty. By empowering a child to continue their education, you are enabling them to pursue a brighter future by keeping them safe from child labor and ensuring that they have a crucial source of stability, safety and nutrition. Your support is providing hundreds of children enrolled in The Child’s Journey in Cambodia with school fees, school kits, uniforms and a community mentor to set them on the path to success. Such efforts close the gap of disadvantages that children of prisoners often face in school and minimize stigma from their peers. Pictured: A caregiver in Cambodia watches as her child uses his new school supplies.
Claudia’s heart was broken when her daughter and son-in-law were arrested and taken to prison. Once again thrown into the role of motherhood, as she became the caregiver for her four young grandchildren. She took on extra jobs to provide for them, but found herself falling behind on bills and struggling to make ends meet. She prayed for God to make a way, even when she couldn’t see a path forward. Amidst her despair, an unfamiliar person came to visit – a caseworker from Prison Fellowship Colombia. Claudia was thrilled to find out that the children would receive services such as education support, healthcare, a Christian caseworker and Scripture resources through The Child’s Journey. “The Child’s Journey has made my grandchildren curious to learn more about God’s Word,” she shared. She had felt alone for so long, but now she felt like someone cares for her, saying, “I am so grateful to Prison Fellowship Colombia for finding my family and giving us hope. I pray blessings on them and on the sponsors of my grandchildren.” Pictured: Claudia surrounded by her grandchildren
When Ruth’s father went to prison, she and her baby siblings were sent to live with her grandmother, Cecilia. Cecilia worked hard to provide for their needs, but sometimes it still wasn’t enough to fill their bellies and give Ruth the supplies she needed for school. Despite Cecilia’s efforts, Ruth had no uniform, shoes or school bag. She made the three-mile trek to school barefoot, holding scraps of mail for paper and broken pencils. But Ruth is determined to get her education because she dreams of becoming a nurse to help others. When The Child’s Journey contacted her family in 2021, they knew it was an answer to their prayers.
Moved by Ruth’s determination and dedication to succeed, they quickly enrolled her into the program where she was matched with a loving sponsor. The Child’s Journey provided her with educational support in the form of tuition assistance, school supplies, a pair of shoes and a new uniform. Her caseworker shared that upon receiving the uniform, Ruth’s face reflected a passionate child who would do anything to achieve her goals. Ruth and Cecilia express their profound gratitude to Ruth’s sponsor and the dedicated team from Prison Fellowship Malawi for making her dreams a reality. Pictured: Ruth smiling with joy
As the global economy struggles with inflation, many families in Rwanda are finding it even tougher to afford necessities like food, much less additional expenses like home repairs. One of the primary challenges facing children of prisoners in Rwanda is a lack of safe housing. Many caregivers, left to provide on their own, do not have the means to perform necessary home maintenance like patching roofs or fixing cracked walls. The Prison Fellowship Rwanda team inspects the home of each child during their quarterly home visits and takes note of any repairs that need to be done. The team in Rwanda is actively working to ensure that all of the children enrolled in their program are living in safe homes. For some, this includes completing tasks like patching holes in roofs, installing locking doors and repairing walls. Pictured: A member of the Prison Fellowship Rwanda team assisting with patching the roof of a TCJ child’s home.
A group of children in Togo receive the Reach for Life Bible
The team in Togo is hard at work distributing Bibles and scripture resources to children and caregivers in The Child’s Journey. These resources, provided through our partnership with Biblica, are translated into the heart languages of the recipients. In Togo, Bibles can be prohibitively expensive, especially as the Togolese economy is reeling from soaring food costs that have left many families struggling to even afford necessities. In the photo above, teens in Togo received Reach For Life Bibles that include special lessons relating to young adulthood to serve as a resource for helpful, Biblical discussions during their mentoring sessions.
A group of TCJ caregivers join together for a child health and safety training event
Prison Fellowship Zambia hosts caregiver support groups and workshops for the caregivers of children enrolled in The Child’s Journey. Having a support network to share struggles, successes, and everyday life is vital for caregivers, as they often walk through incarceration of a family member and caring for their family with limited resources and community support. While the children are the primary beneficiaries of The Child’s Journey services, the program also seeks to empower and support their caregivers by providing them with training and fellowship. This holistic caring of the family provides an even greater foundation for the families to overcome economic and social challenges. Their most recent workshop centering around child health and safety training was attending by more than 140 caregivers.
Interested in learning more or helping even more children? CLICK HERE.
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 we are helping children of prisoners live safer, healthier lives!
A moment of reunion during a prison visit facilitated by Prison Fellowship Cambodia
With COVID restrictions easing within prisons in Cambodia, the Prison Fellowship Cambodia team is once again facilitating visits for children in the program to visit their incarcerated parent(s). They recently took a group of TCJ children to a women’s correctional facility in Phnom Penh where they visited their incarcerated mothers — it was a time of overwhelming joy! For many of the children, this is their first time being able to communicate with their mothers in three years. Families are reunited and encouraged through efforts like these, making it more likely that parents will have a supportive community to return to upon their release. This is a key factor in helping prisoners rebuild their lives after incarceration and break the cycle of crime.
Click the image above to see children in Colombia with their new Scripture resources!
While safety, access to education, nutritious food and health care are all critical to ensuring that a child can reach their potential, spiritual engagement is the key area where the program makes an eternal impact. Through our partnership with Biblica, each child and caregiver in The Child’s Journey receives Bibles and age-appropriate Scripture resources in their heart language. The team in Colombia distributed more than 400 children’s Bibles last quarter, empowering those we serve to grow in the grace and knowledge of God’s word. Check out this precious video of TCJ children in Colombia expressing their gratitude for their new Bibles.
A caseworker from Prison Fellowship Malawi conducting a child home visit
Child home and community visits are key for program implementation and success for children in the program. These quarterly visits are an opportunity for the staff to meet with children and their caregivers, come to a full understanding of their specific needs and interact with other members of the child’s community. During these visits, program staff share their vision and work with the members of the community and promote healthy approaches to released prisoner re-integration. It is common for released inmates and their families to be rejected, stigmatized or even held in contempt within their communities. Interviews and meetings with community members help promote a change in perception about these families. Each quarter, the team in Malawi completes more than 700 child home visits.
Clenia’s world fell apart when her father went to prison. The oldest of five siblings, she did everything she could to help her mother, who was working tirelessly as the sole provider of the family. The Child’s Journey stepped in to ensure that Clenia and her siblings would receive essential care like education support, health checks, supplemental food and Scripture resources. But they didn’t stop there…
One evening, there was a raging storm. Clenia’s mother, Seraphine, rushed home as the rains pounded down harder. She began making dinner when she noticed rain dripping down the wall in front of her. As everyone sat down to eat, rainwater began to puddle on the floor and she rushed her children out of the house and into the violent rain. Just as they stepped outside, the walls of their house collapsed and their beloved home was gone. Clenia and her family had nowhere to go. The only posessions they had were the wet clothes on their backs.
The first person that Seraphine called was Clenia’s caseworker to let him know the situation. The caseworker escalated the matter so the family would be able to receive a quick intervention. Not only did Prison Fellowship Rwanda provide the family with a safe place to stay, but they assisted with repairing the family’s home, by fortifying the walls with brick and replacing their roof. Standing outside of their new home, Seraphine beamed, “My children are now safe and singing with joy. We can’t thank The Child’s Journey program enough. May all you have done be forever acknowledged by the Lord!”
Alphonse was enrolled in The Child’s Journey shortly after his father was sentenced to prison in 2016. He has always been active and friendly, frequently participating in community activities hosted by The Child’s Journey. However, his caseworker noticed that he was struggling academically. Program caseworkers are dedicated to assessing the unique needs of each child and creating a plan to ensure that they are receiving tailored support in their areas of greatest need.
She decided that Alphonse needed to receive one-on-one tutoring to assist with his studies to equip him to succeed in school. Since his mother could not afford to pay for any outside help, the caseworker scheduled a weekly appointment with the family to conduct the tutoring herself and worked to train his mother so that she could help him as well. After just a few sessions together, the difference was staggering. Once Alphonse began receiving tutoring at home, he began to excel in school. Because of this marked improvement, Prison Fellowship Togo added as a best practice for all of their caregivers to be trained to become involved in their child’s academic progress. Pictured: Alphonse and his caseworker working on his homework together
TCJ children attend an event where they are provided with de-worming medicine
Due to a variety of factors, including poverty and social stigma, children of prisoners often have difficulty accessing basic and necessary healthcare. This is why regular health checks are an essential service provided to children enrolled in The Child’s Journey. These health checks are comprised of giving an age-appropriate physical that includes recording the child’s height/weight, checking their eyesight, blood pressure and hearing, and making medical referrals for other observed medical needs. During these health checks, children may also receive targeted health interventions for medical issues that are common in their area. In Zambia, many children suffer the effects of having parasitic worms in their gastrointestinal system. This can lead to malnutrition while causing discomfort and illness. Because of the prevalence of this issue, children enrolled in The Child’s Journey in Zambia receive deworming treatments as part of their targeted health intervention.
Interested in learning more or helping even more children? CLICK HERE.
Breaking the cycle of crime is difficult. But through a holistic approach that cares for prisoners’ spiritual lives, physical needs, and family relationships, it’s not just possible—it’s happening. Florence, a prisoner and a mother of two from Zambia, will tell you.
“I was sentenced to three years in prison with hard labor,” says Florence. “I felt sorry for myself, but there was nothing I could do at the time.”
When Florence went to prison, she left her young daughters, Ketty and Chisenga, in her father’s care, but he struggled to provide for their needs. Ketty and Chisenga stopped going to school because they couldn’t afford to buy shoes, clothes, and school supplies.
“I was so annoyed with myself because I was the one who had been providing for them, but now I couldn’t,” says Florence.
When it seemed hope was lost, a team from Prison Fellowship Zambia visited Florence’s prison to tell the inmates about a program that cared specifically for children of prisoners by providing them with food, clothing, spiritual care, home visits, and helping them pay for school fees.
Florence immediately registered her girls and, through Prison Fellowship Zambia, saw something greater at work in her life. While the staff sought out her children in their hometown, volunteers began visiting Florence and sharing about God’s love and faithfulness.
“I have seen the hand of God in my life,” says Florence. “I saw it while in prison. . . . After hearing the Word of God, I gave my life to Jesus Christ. That very day was the beginning of my transformation.”
To learn more about what it looks like to follow Jesus, Florence joined Prison Fellowship International’s in-prison evangelization program, The Prisoner’s Journey®. Through it, she learned more about who Jesus is and what he calls her to do with her life. After graduating from the eight-week program, Florence decided to take her faith one step further and join Prison Fellowship International’s Sycamore Tree Project: Justice and Peace®: Justice and Peace, where she learned what it looks like to take responsibility for her action and make amends to the people she hurt.
Florence now considers herself a changed woman with a new focus in life.
“The greatest desire of my heart now is the Bible. I am very grateful to God and to Prison Fellowship Zambia. [They are] Indeed doing amazing things in the lives of inmates and their children.”
As soon as Prison Fellowship Zambia learned of the COVID-19 pandemic, they realized the probable impact in Zambia and sprang into action.
Sensing an imminent lockdown, the staff wasted no time in organizing a food distribution for caregivers of children in the program. At the distribution, they enforced social distancing and kept the groups to ten people. They also provided information about COVID-19. Each caregiver received instruction on handwashing, hygiene, and social distancing practices.
Since the lockdown in Zambia, the staff has used innovative ways to serve children, like connecting through phone calls and WhatsApp.
Help Protect The Most At Risk Today
Photo: Norman Nyakapadza could not hold back his expression of love for his family, after he enveloped his wife and children in an embrace.
Children of prisoners in Zimbabwe are celebrating after Prison Fellowship Zimbabwe (PFZ), an affiliate of Prison Fellowship International (PFI), successfully lobbied to overturn a prison visitation ban. This is a breakthrough for Zimbabwean children of prisoners under 18 years old, who were not permitted to visit anyone in prison—even their incarcerated parent.
“There is a growing awareness and evidence, globally, of the significant impact on children and inmates when children can visit their parent in prison,” says PFI’s International Director of Child Sponsorship Adam Hutchinson. “Studies show children who maintain a connection with their incarcerated parent report higher feelings of safety, stability, and overall emotional wellbeing. There is always a reduced likelihood of a parent re-offending after release, meaning families are stronger and children are better care for.”
After a series of meetings with the Zimbabwe Prison and Correctional Service to present prison visitation as a rehabilitative tool for prisoner behavior, children from five families in PFZ’s children of prisoners program were granted visitation. Some, like 10-year-old Precious, had not seen their fathers in nearly a decade.
“Feedback from these families is that the children’s behavior changed positively and they couldn’t stop talking about such a memorable event,” says Wilson Femayi, PFZ children of prisoners program manager. “The prison social workers also reported a remarkable behavioral change in inmates who met with their families for the first time.”
After the successful trial visitations, government officials agreed to institute an annual visitation week open to all children of prisoners throughout the country. The impact of this decision has encouraged Prison Fellowship International affiliates in Rwanda and Zambia to make similar appeals to their own prison visitation laws, which are already yielding similar results.
About Children of Prisoners Sponsorship:
Prison Fellowship International’s child sponsorship program helps rescue, restore, and rebuild the lives of innocent children of prisoners throughout eight countries. Through one-to-one sponsorship relationships, children receive access to food, medical care, education, safety, and spiritual and emotional support. Prison Fellowship International affiliates deliver these services through partnerships with local government, NGOs, and churches.
Pictured: Three-year-old Kunda, Ndola, Zambia.
At just 3, Kunda is already an outcast in his community. His neighbors laugh at him, and call him names. They throw garbage in his yard, and won’t let him go near their homes. It’s too much for someone who is so young—whose life has barely begun.
Kunda and his siblings, Lucy and Jackson, were all under the age of five when their father was sentenced to 25 years in prison. Shortly after his sentence, their mother abandoned them, too.
Their grandmother, Payder, is now their primary caretaker.
Kunda, Lucy, and Jackson live in Nkwazi, one of the poorest, most densely populated communities in Ndola, Zambia. During the day, they scavenge for food as they wait for Payder to come home from the market where she sells vegetables. In the evening, Payder brings a pack of maize to cook a meal.
Pictured: Nkwazi, a rural community in the north of Ndola, has some of the poorest living standards in Zambia. Here, neighborhood children eat their evening meal.
Payder puts on a brave face to encourage her grandchildren, but she knows they need more than what she is able to provide. She simply cannot earn enough for food, let alone clothing and school supplies. Payder says in private moments she cries out to God for help.
“[I tell God] not to let me down. I ask Him for wisdom on how I will [take care of] the children.”
Perhaps most heartbreaking is the stigma attached to the Kunda and his siblings. When a parent goes to prison, their children suffer most. They not only endure the loss of a provider, but the rejection of family, friends, and community. Because their father is a prisoner, they have been deemed unworthy. Neighbors mock them, and they are the victims of vicious rumors, rejection, and even hate crimes.
“Once, we found a dead dog dumped inside [our house],” says Payder. “Sometimes we would find garbage strewn about. Neighbors called our home a garbage dump. Others called it a toilet. But I still call it a home.”
When the rainy season comes, every December through March, the little family’s home—a dilapidated mud hut—cannot protect them from the downpours.
Pictured: A mud-brick house with a makeshift roof in Ndola, Zambia.
“When the rains come at night, our roof leaks so badly I have to grab the children and rush outside,” says Payder.
They would huddle under a tree until the rains let up.
Once Kunda was enrolled in our child sponsorship program, the family’s situation improved. Our sponsorship team visits Kunda regularly to ensure he and his siblings are well-fed, able to go to school, and they help provide any safety repairs to the family’s home.
Help the Children of Prisoners
Sadly, their neighbors continued to taunt.
“People in the community laughed at us, saying, ‘[These people] will not repair your home. That’s a lie!'” says Payder.
But the family persisted in their faith.
“I said since God is there, and He watches over these children He will never fail us,” says Payder. “And that’s when our house was rebuilt. I pray my new home is not only a safe and dry place for my family,” says Payder, “but a place of light and community for others.”
Pictured: Kunda and his sister Lucy play outside their new home, built through the assistance of Prison Fellowship Zambia and the child sponsorship program.
Life continues to improve the Kunda and his family. They enjoy regular walks to the Prison Fellowship Zambia office, where they pick up their monthly food and school supplies, and clothing. They family is also connected with a local church and attends a weekly, community Bible study for families of prisoners, where they can learn about God, make new friends, and find acceptance.
Pictured (L–R): Lucy, Kunda, and Payder pose outside their new home—a welcoming "place of light" for the community.
Help a child like Kunda experience hope for the future.
Learn more about our child sponsorship program