Faith Ministries mobilises churches to build homes for children in prisons

Faith Ministries is mobilising other Christian organisations to build homes for children detained in the country's prisons together with their mothers.

Early this year Prison Commissioner Paradzai Zimondi appealed to the public for the removal of children who are detained in the prisons together with their serving mothers.

According to Zimondi there 69 infants are currently detained with their mothers in prisons across the country.

Faith Ministries Prison Coordinator, Diana Pazvakavambwa, told RelZim in Harare Friday that as a church they are mobilsing other Christian organisations to establish homes that will cater for the innocent souls.

"We must think of a permanent solution to this problem, like establishing homes for these children. This is possible if we unite as Christian organizations and other stakeholders. This is happening in other countries and we too here can do the same. I know it is difficult because of finances but if we join hands we can manage," Pazvakavambwa said in an interview.

Pazvakavambwa said church organizations should stop using inmates for their personal gains, but rather strive for improving lives of the disadvantaged.

"All along we have been giving hand outs to prisoners including female prisoners and their children, but I think now time has come for us to stop just giving hand outs. The problem is that sometimes we look at what is in it for us, like profits. I think we should move away from that. We should also stop using these disadvantaged people for personal gains," she added.

Hunger, inhumane squalid conditions, exposure to a variety of diseases and stripping people of their dignity are the characteristics of the country's jails, and leaving children grow in such conditions is tantamount to condemning them.