Prisoners' Children Get Educated in Uganda

When Godfrey watched his father leave for prison, sentenced to death row, he knew his life would never be the same.  His mother died of AIDS several years earlier, so Godfrey was forced to drop out of school and move in with his grandfather, who was already caring for several other children. 

Unfortunately, Godfrey’s story is not unique in Uganda.  Every time a mother or a father goes to prison, the lives of their children are forever altered.  Often the child must go to live with a more distant relative and since primary school fees in this East African country average $300 USD per child, per year—including school fees, uniforms and materials—many prisoners’ children cannot afford an education. 

PF Uganda’s Family Link programme works to ensure that many of these children do not have to sacrifice their education, or a safe and happy childhood, because of their parents’ crimes.  PF Uganda uses a small network of volunteers to visit the prisoners’ children, assess their living conditions and inquire about their schooling.  They enrol them in school, pay for their fees, and when necessary, take them into their own homes.  If funding becomes available, PF Uganda plans to open a shelter for prisoners’ children, as there are very few orphanages in Uganda.

Thanks to this programme, Godfrey now lives with a caring PF volunteer and is a senior in school.  “Godfrey now looks at life differently,” says Irene Namwano, PF Uganda Executive Director, “and he says he’ll study until he becomes a professional.”  Irene says Godfrey’s father is doing better too, now that he knows his son is well cared for and is back in school.

Getting an education is especially important for prisoners’ children because they are at a higher risk of becoming incarcerated one day themselves.  Recent studies indicate that prisoners’ children are more likely to be depressed, exhibit aggressive behaviour and experience poverty and homelessness than children whose parents are not in prison.

Most of the children PF Uganda volunteers encounter are eager to start school and appreciate the PF visits.  When PF visited 8-year old Jamil, for example, who lives in a village in Eastern Uganda with his stepmother, he asked if he “could go to school like other children.”  PF enrolled him in primary one, and the school director reports that Jamil is doing well and is “very intelligent.” 

PF volunteers visit the children regularly, bringing them coveted supplies like soap, sugar and clothes, and they often drive them to prison to visit their parents.  As a result, “the children have someone who cares about them and treats them better,” explains Irene.   By bringing the children to the prison, which can be a long journey from the rural villages, PF Uganda facilitates needed reconciliation among the family members.  Many of the prisoners previously had no contact with their children while incarcerated.   Now, in addition to the prison visits, PF volunteers routinely bring photos and letters back and forth from child to parent, protecting that important yet fragile bond.

In addition to reconciling families and providing needy children with an education, PF volunteers have discovered another benefit to the Family Link Project—reconciling prisoners to the Lord.  The inmates want to learn more about the faith that led the volunteers to sacrificially serve them and their families.  “They have committed their lives to Jesus Christ because of the effort made by Christians to care for their children,” says Irene.  And as a result, she says she has seen their attitudes and their health improve.