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Prisoners’ Stories
A Volunteer Coordinator's Story
Ray, "Inmate Coordinator"
Ray (a fictitious name) was our “Inmate Coordinator” at Mukobeko Maximum Security Correctional Facility. He has since been released but served as coordinator for nearly six years. He was an excellent coordinator and worked tirelessly to make a difference for the prisoners. At one point, while he was still incarcerated, we received the following from him:
“My name is Ray, coordinator for the Ubumi Prisons Initiative (Maximum Security Prison). I am trained in IT, Management Information Systems, and I am a Microsoft Certified Systems Administrator. I have worked in both the public and private sectors as a system developer and IT administrator. This opportunity to work in both sectors has given me a lot of experience working with people at all levels.
The opportunity to work as the coordinator for the Ubumi Prisons Initiative came at a very difficult time when I was very sick, both physically and mentally. It was at this point that the prison manager at Ubumi Maximum Security Prison recommended I become coordinator for Ubumi’s work in the prison. Working for the Ubumi Prisons Initiative has helped me tremendously and made me much stronger, physically and mentally because I have found a purpose in life while incarcerated. It has also helped me see the patients in a different light, where they feel that someone cares about them.Being a part of such an important organisation that helps the most vulnerable and improves their health and outlook on life has meant a lot to me.”
A Nurse's Story
"It’s my job to help"
“I am one of Ubumi’s nurses.
I joined the group of carers on October 20, 2011, when we were introduced to a project in the prison. It was the Ubumi Prisons Initiative. On April 14, 2013, the prison management decided to turn one of the cells into a medical ward, and as a carer, I was given the task of cleaning the ward. The patients in this ward received food, hygiene supplies, and other items from an organisation called Ubumi Prisons Initiative. Afterward, the coordinator moved me from cleaning to cooking for the patients, particularly those being treated for tuberculosis and HIV. I am also responsible for keeping track of the food we prepare and what we give the patients each day. I must monitor all the supplies I get for cooking, as well as keep a record of the names of the patients we serve food to. I am very happy with this work because it is voluntary, and I want to help my fellow prisoners. It is my role in the project.”
A Patient's Story
"Ubumi gave me my life back"
“I was arrested five years ago and have been in prison for the last four.
I had recurring stomach problems with severe pain and diarrhoea: the fever came and went, and it was really bad, along with the stomach pains and foul-smelling diarrhoea. I got thinner every day and couldn’t understand why. Prison is a very harsh place to be, and I really regret ending up here. My friends, who I was with from the city when I went to court and was sentenced to prison, turned away from me when I got sick because I could no longer cook, wash clothes, or get food for our group. The prison clinic referred me to Kabwe General Hospital for tests because the medicine I was receiving didn’t help. I also had a very painful rash on my stomach and back.
At the hospital they took blood from my right arm at the hospital and then told me I was HIV positive, and there were small things in my blood that were fighting my body, and the small things fighting the disease were very low in me. About a week later, the doctors gave me large pills that I was told to take twice a day, one in the morning and one at 7pm.
From the day I started taking the medicine, I felt worse, as I got dizzy from the medication because it was very strong. I also started feeling hunger, but there was nothing proper to eat, just porridge with salt, sardines, and beans without cooking oil. I had neither sugar nor oil to add to my food, and no one to cook for me because my group had left me. Every time I ate sardines, I got very bad diarrhoea. The staff at the clinic moved me to the cell for sick prisoners. That was in December 2013.
When I entered the cell, things started improving because I met people (Ubumi volunteers) who helped me bathe when I was weak and had soiled my clothes because I couldn’t go to the toilet by myself. There were other prisoners there who helped me wash my clothes, and I got good food. I was given a large portion of breakfast and lunch. My health improved a lot, and my weight increased. I no longer felt dizzy after taking the strong medicine.
I thought the people who helped me came from one of the churches in the prison. But when a white woman visited the prison with the person who helps her run the organisation, I found out it was her organisation. Even though she doesn’t come from the church, I believe it is God who sent her to help us. Ubumi means life and health in my language, and that is what she gives us, those of us who are sick. I was close to dying. My family lives in Luingu and has never visited me in Kabwe. Even if I died, they would never hear about it or be able to come to bury me.
I no longer receive food from Ubumi, and the staff at the clinic have moved me from the cell where I got help. I am well enough now to take care of myself. Prison is a very difficult place to live, but at least now I have the energy to try to live here. I thank you very much for saving my life. Without your help, I would have died like the others. I felt that bad.”