At the tail end of August, we partnered with ICC Church Mombasa Road on a CSR project to visit Kamiti Maximum Prison. The church does quarterly donation drives for toiletries and personal effects that oftentimes are not readily available to those serving time. The facility hosts around three thousand inmates and the stretch in terms of resources is evident. As a corporate citizen in Kenya, it is not lost on Admedia that affording basic decency while behind bars is akin to walking on thin ice. It can be easy to forget the value of such small things as a roll of toilet paper and a bar of soap when you have the freedom and time to walk to any store and get them at your convenience when you can afford a preference for whatever brand you elect to use. So, what happens when you are incarcerated and have no means to access them? This becomes an expensive luxury. It pushes you to the core. Beyond the loss of freedom, you are brutally indicted into a life of constant worry when you want to as least as use the bathroom.
As basic as they might appear, toiletries are crucial in the promotion of human decency, and availing them to our brothers and sisters behind bars should be routinized. Part of Target 7C of the Millennium Development Goal 7, is to attain improved sanitation for 2.4 billion people worldwide by 2015(Yes, nine years ago). Improved sanitation goes beyond having access to clean and working toilets. It is also, accessing those toilets with proper and sufficient amenities like toilet paper and soap. Science has taught us and greatly so, in these post-pandemic years, that using soap can help prevent the transmission of microbes and germs from surfaces and therefore prevent diseases, especially in such crowded spaces. The internet and media are awash with stories of debilitating cholera outbreaks in our prison facilities that have been lethal countless times.
Visiting the prison for us was perspective-shifting. We saw great adversity and how the human condition is reduced to just counting hours, days, months, and years. We witnessed first-hand, how missing family and friends can take a toll on a person. It is like a spiral down a very dark hole, one time there is freedom, sunshine, and air above ground, and the next you are in this endless abyss of darkness and unending sorrow.
In addition to the donations, we also partnered with the ICC church in offering psycho-social support to the inmates. This is another key area of the inmates’ lives that needs support. When one is taken into custody, as we learned during the visit, their lives flash before their eyes, and their dreams, plans, and life aspirations take an unexpected tangential dip that can be heavy on their shoulders. The separation from those they love, and the absence of things like hobbies and platforms to grow in the normal growth aspects other humans enjoy is hard. This visit was, therefore, a merger between our world outside and the world they experience every day. It is remarkable how much difference a concrete wall separation can mean to people on either side. One need not be a professional counselor or therapist to offer such support. Spending time with them goes a long way. And as several of them told us, it reminds them of the universal human spirit of being a brother’s keeper.
Our correctional facilities face a plethora of challenges. With the stretched resources, the inmates often have to improvise and make do with their little. We can support them and make their time behind easier by championing getting involved in such initiatives. In her book, What I Know For Sure, Oprah Winfrey says, “When you get a chance to sit out or dance, I hope you dance.” Let’s not sit out on this. A little jig goes a long way. Let’s always remind them #WeGotThem.
