Document Actions
A Prison Education
Prisoners in Malawi are learning how to read and write thanks to a PF sponsored education project that began with a caring prisoner.
Just a month after being incarcerated, 35 year-old Richard Tembo began teaching his fellow inmates how to read and write. Convicted for misusing funds at his workplace, Richard had been sentenced to a three year term of imprisonment at the Chichiri Prison in Blantyre, Malawi. Explaining his situation Richard says, “I wanted to marry, so I connived the accountant into giving me money for my engagement.”
Although he was raised in a Christian home, Richard had strayed from his faith after leaving college and fell into drinking and drugs. But once in prison, he was struck by the reality that, unlike him, many of his fellow inmates were completely unprepared to live in the community. Many of them had been in and out of prison all their lives, and most of them did not even have a basic education.
After privately tutoring several of the prisoners, Richard and several other inmates sought the help of the prison chaplain, Father Kantembe, and the prison authorities for support in organizing a school for prisoners. PF Malawi was able to provide writing materials and textbooks for the school.
Through his involvement with Fr. Kantembe and PF Malawi volunteers, Richard eventually recommitted his life to Christ. “I was baptized two weeks later at the prison,” Richard says. After serving just four months of his three year prison sentence, Richard was released on a presidential pardon, but the lessons he learned in prison were not lost.
Upon his release, Richard did not forget his fellow prisoners. He continues to coordinate the prison education project as Prison Fellowship Malawi‘s Educational Coordinator. The programme, which is funded by outside donors, has grown to provide educational assistance to prisoners in four maximum security and three medium security prisons.
Despite the less than ideal classroom conditions in prison, participating inmates work hard to earn their education. Last year 32 of 33 prisoners who took their Junior Certificate Examinations received a passing grade - a 97 percent success rate!
