Sharing Joy

Christmas came in May for prisoners in Senegal this year, thanks to festive Angel Tree® parties organised by PF Senegal in three of the country’s prisons.  PF Senegal celebrates Angel Tree® in May because it is more convenient for prison staff and the gifts, provided by Samaritan’s Purse, arrive in February.  More than 400 children gathered in the courtyard of the women’s prison in Dakar, the country’s largest city and its capital, and each received a gift directly from their incarcerated mother.  Many of the mothers wept with the opportunity to give their children gifts and see them play.  “You have brought joy back to our home,” one mother cried.  PF Senegal created a pleasant atmosphere in the courtyard with decorations, music, and refreshments.  PF Senegal also facilitated a medical outreach programme in several prisons recently, at the request of a team of American doctors and dentists.  The doctors treated and consulted with 700 prisoners, who were very grateful for the opportunity as the prisons in Senegal offer very little health care and the overcrowded conditions promote the spread of a variety of diseases.