Child Prisoners

After much planning and prayer, FOMM is ready to launch a new humanitarian program in the prisons, focusing mainly on children over the age of 14. Many in jail for long periods of time in pre-trial detention without being given the right to a speedy or fair trial. The free lawyers provided by the state have no incentive to properly research the cases and hiring private lawyers is prohibitive for Malagasy families who earn on average about $2/day. These teenagers languish in dismal and grossly inadequate prison environments when they should be in school and playing sports.
 
We started a pilot project in March of 2023 in Antalaha Prison which has led to an expanded vision for this new endeavor.
 
As a result, FOMM is setting up a holistic humanitarian prison project to share the love of Jesus in action - addressing legal issues, literacy, education, vocational training, health care, food security, infrastructure improvements and more. As one colleague in the Antalaha prison told the kids, “We hope that when you leave, you will be better equipped and never come back!”

Some of the accomplishments last year included:

  • the purchase of 135 mattresses for the teenagers and women
  • purchase of new clothing for the children and women
  • replacing the overflowing toilets and reworking the sewage problem
  • paving the muddy play area
  • building an outside cooking area for the kids, so that they could cook their own food and eat more nutritiously
  • fixing the leaking water pipes and installing a new submersible pump for the prison
  • starting literacy classes through the local church
  • renovating the former toilet building which was used to house dying prisoners

The needs are huge. Future goals include:

  • developing prison farmlands for food security
  • expanding the literacy and educational programs
  • setting up a pilot program for welding training
  • setting up a “Welcome House” for parents of kids in pre-detention, paying all of their travel and living costs, informing them of their legal rights, and thus enabling them to support their child through the legal process
  • mobilize a group of lawyers in Antalaha to justly represent the children
Any gifts are welcome as the needs are huge. We hope to develop the Antalaha prison to the point where it becomes a model for other prisons around Madagascar, working side by side with Malagasy men and women who give a message of hope and remind us that we are all beloved children of God.
 
Please consider providing financial support for the program. 100% of your donation will be used to support the Antalaha Prison. Please use one of the options below to donate either through DonorView, PayPal or by check.