Events/ Some of what we have done so far…
We have concentrated mainly on the custodial period.
We hosted our first Christmas luncheon for the female inmates in December 2020. Here we partnered with the Nyaradzo group, which made this inaugural event a never-seen-before act which had resounding success. This was the beginning of a beautiful connection with the ZPCS. In 2022, we had another Christmas celebration, kickstarted with a Zumba session for Inmates, visitors and staff and a catered meal from the Nyaradzo Group with dessert donated by Dish Caterers and Leen’s Functions Flair. Children of staff and inmates were treated with a jumping castle, entertainment and chocolate (inmates as well). There was entertainment galore from musicians AnesuisheAnesu, Marcy Janyure, and Chioniso. There was also lively audience captivation from Chaplain Christine Phiri and MC Norman, the Prisons Band. During the Christmas celebration at the facility in 2023, the major highlight was the official handover of a significant number of books, over a thousand, donated from our partnership with Book Aid International. There was also a vibrant atmosphere with music from Ken Wahmambo, Batsirai Shasha, AnesuisheaAnesu and Myra Jay. Master of ceremonies Mathew Mhembere, the CEO of TEO events, made the event memorable. Again, The Nyaradzo group made a significant contribution.
At the beginning of 2021, we donated medical supplies like temperature probes, BP measuring devices, urinalysis and pulse oximeters to help the infirmary during the Covid 19 pandemic. We have also responded to a request for assistance with stationery from the Mental Health Team in May 2021. This enabled mental health tribunals to run more efficiently. These include some printers as well. We have helped with a small chicken project at the beginning of 2021. In the community, we have supported mental health awareness in the community. We supported a soccer tournament for girls. The MTC hosted Educate a Girl Inc. in Chimanimani in October 2021 and 2022 to celebrate the International Day of the Girl Child and the drive to promote the elimination of child marriages. This will be an annual event, too. We have purchased cotton t-shirt material for the inmates to make their own underwear. Between October 2022 and May 2022, source locally handmade beautiful benches with two small tables. They have been well-received and multifunctional. They serve to beautify the common area for staff and inmates alike. Also, they enhance the connection between the inmates and staff. They have become safe places to air grievances in a relaxed environment. Inmates can also have interviews with lawyers in private and in a psychologically safe environment. Even visitors, including family and ZPCS dignitaries, enjoy these benches. We have seen interviews conducted by the media with staff or inmates sitting comfortably on these beautiful benches. In 2022, we sourced 175kg of beans (for food and to grow), much firewood for cooking, and three goats to start a small self-help and self-reliance project. We are so excited to have been able to acquire a laptop, projectors, and screen.
We have participated in many Mother’s Day events over the last three years. In May 2021, we funded a Mother’s Day breakfast and sourced cups and plates for the facility. We could not be there in person to celebrate with our friends. In May 2022, we celebrated Mother’s Day in person. We invited a successful beautician/hairstylist, Shamiso Cleopatra Matonhodze of Cleo’s Beauty Addicts, to come with us. She has gone on to foster her own relationship with the facility to the point of helping with the construction of a beauty salon at Chikurubi female prison, where she visits regularly to teach inmates her craft. They absolutely adore her. We were joined by one of the top fast-food companies specializing in baked goods there. Again, the Nyaradzo Gropu helped us here. We are eternally grateful for their ongoing assistance. We delivered our second bench on this day, a joyous occasion. We danced and were treated to beautiful, heartwarming acapella music by the inmates. This opened our eyes to the presence of talent inside and gave us the motivation, with permission from the authorities, to invite willing Zimbabweans with the talent to come and assist with empowering inmates by teaching them their variable crafts. We did not celebrate Mother’s Day at the facility in 2023 due to circumstances beyond our control. Mother’s Day 2024 was a very successful event. We again partnered with the Nyarardzo Group and Jedidiah Trust, an organization that advocates for children and carers for incarcerated mothers. We invited several musicians, namely Batsirai Shasha, Franci Hawu Juma and AnesuIsheAnesu, to entertain the inmates and their children, and the event was led by a professional master of Ceremonies, MC BaAno. It was such a beautiful mother-and-child bonding event.
In August 2023, we donated yarn to make more warm sweaters for the inmates and bought peanut butter to supplement the prison children’s diet.
This year, we have paid fees for two female inmates to write their O-level exams.
We keep getting called to expand our scope. We supported the ex-inmate who found her child severely disabled after release from prison. Our Foundation sourced a wheelchair and some provisions for her and her family and organized and paid for medical attention at Sally Mugabe Hospital for the child in question.
In December 2024, we bought some essential necessities for two female inmates who do not get visitors and yarn to make bags so that they can raise money for their well-being. We also assisted an ex-inmate with a small capital to get her phone and yarn to start her own handbag-making business. This year, for the first time, we have started supporting select male inmates from different prisons. Watch this space.
We see this as an important opportunity for education, creativity and entertainment for the inmates, children and staff.
