Inspired Individuals

Dear Friends,

Please find here a Voice of America article with Gabriel Shumba speaking on Zimbabwe and the ratification of the UN Convention Against Torture.

Link: http://www.voanews.com/zimbabwe/news/Zimbabwe-Moves-to-Ratify–139735773.html

[Posted by Monica on behalf of Gabriel Shumba]

Dear All

Just wanted to share with you another exciting project we are involved with – the first Human Rights Film Festival in Sierra Leone, which starts this weekend!

You can find out more details on our website at http://www.opinyuyi.org ot our teaser advert http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=P1qnP-1uwN8

Thanks for your prayers and support!

Sabrina

[Posted by Monica on behalf of Sabrina Mahtani]

Dear Friends,

I thought you might be interested to receive an email or two every few months, sharing the work that we are doing with some of the most vulnerable people in Africa, through your generous support.

I am writing this sitting in the APP office, on the edge of Kampala. The sun is setting over the town centre, a few hazy kilometres away. The breeze from Lake Victoria, not far from here and clearly visible from our premises, reduces the lingering heating – Uganda has been experiencing a heat wave for the past few months, and you can tell. Kampala is a lush city, with plants, flowers and trees everywhere. The combination of equatorial sun and regular, intensive rain, is the perfect recipe for a vibrant, green landscape. With the rain missing, in places that green is beginning to fade to brown. The sound of worship drifts in through the window from our neighbouring church, which has always been ready to step in and conduct funerals for prisoners without families who were cared for by us before they died.

This afternoon I was with Bosco and Geoffrey, prison warders who you, dear supporters, are helping to study, for a diploma and degree in law respectively, with the University of London by correspondence (two of eight students we currently support through your help). We were joined by Fred, who completed his A levels (and was involved in our health, education and sports programmes) whilst in prison. Fred was sponsored by one of our volunteers to read law when released from prison, and is now doing the bar course to become an advocate.

We were conducting a moot – mock court proceedings, which gives students a chance to prepare a case and present in a court like environment, as if they were barristers (or advocates as they are known here). The case was one of capital murder, in which the advocates were making submissions at the sentencing stage about whether the defendant should receive the death sentence. The moot was based on the case of Derek Bentley, a British teenager, executed at the age of 19 after a highly controversial trial in which he was convicted for the murder of a policeman, after uttering to his co-accused who fired the gun ‘let him have it’. The case was pertinent both because of the youth of many of those that we serve in prison, and because the death penalty is still a very present reality in Uganda and many other African countries, not just for murder but crimes like treason, cowardice and mutiny too. We believe that moots can help prepare prisoners for their own court proceedings, and that prisons staff, and ex inmates, can play an important role in the law in countries without, or with a very limited, legal aid system.

On this visit to Uganda I will also be attending the opening of a library we have established, at Murchison Bay primary school within the Luzira Prison Complex, for 1800 or so children, mostly the offspring of prisons staff. The library contains about 4000 books supporting the Ugandan primary curriculum, and can host 100 or more children at a time. When I met her yesterday, the school’s librarian was beaming with delight at the new facility. Our team of librarians will be supporting her in the management of the new facility, over the coming year. We believe it’s crucial to invest in the development of the whole prison community if we are to bring about change in the lives of prisoners. By supporting, nurturing and helping develop prisons staff and their families, we believe that we can equip those who are with prisoners day in day out to be instruments of change, and help make prisons an attractive working environment.

That’s all for the time being. It would be great to hear from you if you have comments or suggestions in relation to this travel journal.

Thank you again for helping to bring dignity and hope to men, women and children in prisons in Africa, through healthcare, education, access to justice and community reintegration.
Best wishes,

Alexander

[Posted by Monica on behalf of Alexander McLean]

Dear Friends in Civil Society

Please find below AdvocAid’s latest press release concerning 22 people (7 men, 12 women, 4 juveniles) who were released from prison following a summary review by the Chief Justice. They were sentenced to 6 months for loitering despite the statutory maximum sentence being 1 month.

Please contact AdvocAid should you wish to have more information. We respectfully ask that you contact us rather than contacting our clients directly given the sensitive nature of the case and as our clients are vulnerable people.
AdvocAid Team

***

PRESS RELEASE:

22 “LOITERING” PRISONERS RELEASED BY THE CHIEF JUSTICE FOLLOWING ADVOCAID INTERVENTION

22 people (7 men, 12 women, 4 juveniles) convicted of loitering and sentenced to 6 months imprisonment at Pademba Road and Freetown Female Prisons, were dramatically released on 2 February 2012 after local civil society organisation, AdvocAid, requested a summary review by the Chief Justice.

The conviction resulted in the female prison population almost doubling overnight, straining the already limited prison resources. The prisoners were unable to spend Christmas with their families and the women did not have time to put childcare arrangements in place before their arrest and sentence.

The exact details of the “loitering” offence are unclear but it supposedly took place between 10am to noon on a Tuesday in December 2011 around the Tower Hill area of Freetown. Most of the accused were outside or even in their homes conducting normal daily activities. Whilst the maximum sentence for loitering is 1 month under the Public Order Act 1965, the usual sentence is a caution and discharge or a fine of Le 50,000 (fifty thousand Leones). By 2 February 2012, the prisoners had already served 7 weeks in prison (well over the 4 week maximum sentence). Among those convicted was a 9 month pregnant woman, who gave birth in prison, a 13 year old boy and 3 other juveniles. The Magistrate sentenced 36 persons to imprisonment but, due to circumstances yet unclear, only 22 were actually in custody and serving the sentence. Several of the detainees were injured, allegedly by the police, and one female detainee, who was 9 months pregnant at the time of arrest, delivered her baby in prison.

AdvocAid, which provides legal aid, education and welfare support to female detainees and their children, was able to act quickly upon discovery of this situation. AdvocAid staff members met with the convicted persons to ascertain the circumstances of their arrest and recorded their statements. Based on this information, AdvocAid submitted a request for a summary review to the Chief Justice.

On behalf of the released prisoners, AdvocAid would like to thank the Honourable Chief Justice for acting speedily to remedy the error. Thanks also to all AdvocAid staff, volunteers and the Fourah Bay college legal extern students who assisted with drafting the review application and interviewing the affected persons. Finally our appreciation to our donors: Open Society Foundations, Mama Cash and Open Society Justice Initiative who made it all possible.

AdvocAid – supporting justice, education and reintegration for women and their children in conflict with the law in Sierra Leone.

39 Liverpool Street, Freetown
http://www.advocaidsl.com
advocaid@gmail.com
033 572 526

APP is excited to announce the MBPS Education Campaign!

For 30 days running up to World Book Day (01-03-12), APP is running an online fundraising campaign in support of the Murchison Bay Primary School Library opening in February.

Murchison Bay Primary School provides education to 1,800 children, the majority of whom are children of the prison staff and part of the prison community.

We are asking supporters to tell us their favourite children’s book and donate the value to APP in order that we are able to provide the children of Murchison Bay Primary School a window into the exciting, mind opening and inspiring world of literature. As part of APP’s education strategy, we are opening the Murchison Bay Primary School Library. Many of us take for granted that reading and an enjoyment of books was part of our childhood and education. We need your help in bringing the magic of fictional worlds to the children we are helping in MBPS.

HOW YOU CAN HELP
- We are asking Facebook users to share their favourite children’s book title on their status
- We are asking Twitter Followers to tweet the title of their favourite children’s book to @africanprisons
- We are asking supporters to then donate the value of this favourite book to APP via text. All you need to do is text MBPS12 £5 to 70070 and you can help a child discover their favourite children’s book.
· Become a friend of APP and commit to giving to APP monthly to provide us with the long-term security we need to continue our vital work and to ensure we are able to constantly renew our library books in schools and prisons to make sure the collection is up-to-date and relevant. You can do this via JustGiving at: http://www.justgiving.com/africanprisonsproject/donate or by printing and completing the regular giving leaflet that’s attached.
· Share this e-mail among your friends and family.

Our official launch of Woodo (Women Who Do!)

WOODO is a diverse network of women determined to BE the change we wish to see in the world.

WOODO engages in community upliftment, development and empowerment projects which are sustainable and make a long-term difference in the lives of impoverished women in Africa.

Click here to read more about WOODO.

Heather's Proposal - Core Values

Heather's Proposal - The Need

Heather's Proposal - Dreaming

Here’s an update on what we’re currently doing in Goma:

- Running seminars and conferences encouraging churches to take part in practical action for taking care of the environment

- Mobilising the community through the media

- Reinforcing the capacities of local associations in waste management

- Running a new group called ‘Friends of Cleanliness’! It’s a group of young people committed to fighting for a clean environment in their neighbourhood. Our vision is to start to extend this initiative to as many local churches as possible.

Please pray for us and join with us in this initiative!

[Posted by Chris Jones on behalf of Joel Tembo Vwira]

New website for Justice For Children (Celia Kaala – Uganda): http://www.justiceforchildren.org.ug/

[Posted by Gary Swart on behalf of Celia Kaala]

Congratulations to Lawrence and Manju for 10 years of serving the poor in the name of Jesus!

Email from Lawrence and Manju:

Dear Friends,

greetings from Agnes Kunze Society-Dehra dun-India,Wishing you a very happy new year 2012.

We are happy to say that on 16 January 2012, AKS is completing 10 years of Existence (16 Jan 2002-16 Jan 2012)and labeling as ” An ISO 9001:2008 Certified Charity / NGO”,In completing 10 years AKS is holding a function on 08 april 2012 and you are cordially invited to attend the function.

We once again take this opportunity to thank all our friends for their continue prayers and support, without this we would have not gone so far.Thank you for your trust and Journey with AKS.

HOPING TO SEE YOU ALL,TAKE CARE AND GOOD LUCK!

Warm & Best Regards

Lawrence Singh- Project coordinator

check out this video on urban farming (God’s way)