One of our friends, Lukia, has an ongoing ministry to the inmates of a women’s prison here in Uganda. A number of these women were simply near the scene of a crime and so were rounded up by the police. Then, without the means to afford proper representation, they languish in prison indefinitely. Many of them have suffered years of abuse and privations.
The conditions in the prison are appalling. The inmates eat only one meal a day, and there is little or no medical care available to them when they are ill. There are also no facilities for their children, and in many cases, the women are abandoned by their families, as it is considered shameful to be sent to prison.
Lukia has been ministering to them week after week, leaving them reading material on bitterness, forgiveness, and other essential subjects. The Lord also supplied some vegetable seeds, and the inmates have so far grown crops of tomatoes, carrots, and cabbages. This not only provides more nutrition for the women, but gives them a little income with which they can purchase needed health and sanitary items.
A friend of ours sponsored a new cooking setup, which is a welcome change from their old, small pots. They now have beautiful large, solid pots, eating utensils, and plates. Their lives are now improving, both spiritually and physically, and this is giving them hope.