This Christmas, 766 inmates at Afara Custodial Centre in Nigeria were surprised by a visit from compassion activists looking to spread holiday cheer and inspiration.
Volunteers from Global Compassion Nigeria, a community organization seeking to promote compassion in communities throughout the country, organized an uplifting program, including a football tournament, motivational speeches, worship session, and a hot meal.
Uwalaka Uchechukwu, Global Compassion Nigeria’s coordinator, said: “Everyone deserves compassion and humanity, especially during the holiday season. That includes inmates in prison – people who are at grave risks of feeling lost and let-down by society. Our goal with this visit was to spread not just meals and gifts, but seeds of hope.”
The surprise visit aimed to launch an ongoing outreach program promoting emotional support and guidance to help inmates successfully transition back into society. Branded t-shirts, banners and decorations reminded prisoners that compassion should have no bounds. A worship talk focused on finding inner peace and strength.
Uchechukwu added: “The incredible energy during the football tournament demonstrated the power of joy and play to unite and rekindle the human spirit. Based on the prison staff’s overwhelmingly positive feedback, we are already planning more uplifting activities in 2024.”
Uchechukwu said the next phase involves establishing inmates as Compassion Ambassadors upon release, allowing them to pay forward the care and kindness shown by the Connectors.
Meanwhile, continued collaboration between the GCC Connectors and local authorities will enable larger-scale community programming over time.
