The Nyota Women’s Leadership Program demonstrated a great initiative during this holiday season by bringing comfort and hope to women prisoners at Kangbayi Prison in Beni, North Kivu Province. This unexpected visit allowed civil society activists to interact with the prisoners, raise awareness about their rights and duties as prisoners, and most importantly, convey a message of hope and transformation.
The emotion was palpable among the women prisoners at Kangbayi who were offered food, soap, and other essentials. One of the prisoners expressed the surprise and gratitude they felt at this unexpected visit: “We didn’t expect it, it’s a big surprise. Joy floods our hearts. We are blessed with bags of rice, boxes of soap, and other things. May God bless these women of Nyota.”
The awareness-raising carried out by members of the Nyota program is of paramount importance. It allows inmates to keep hope, to believe in a better tomorrow, even behind bars. Charline Masika Wakine, one of the members of Nyota, emphasizes the importance of transmitting a message of hope and encouragement to female prisoners: “It was not only to come and share with them but also to give them a message of hope by showing them that prison is not the end of the world. At any moment, they can get out, and when they get out, we gave them a message to go and transform the world so that after their release, the world, those around them can really feel a transformation in the prison and after prison”.
The female police officers present during this visit also played a crucial role in raising awareness among inmates to become actors in education within the community. This approach aims to encourage inmates to become aware of their potential and to act positively, both in detention and once released.
By showing empathy and solidarity towards women prisoners, the Nyota program demonstrates the power of mutual aid and sisterhood. These actions highlight the importance of supporting women in vulnerable situations, by offering them not only material goods, but above all a message of hope and transformation for a better future.