Key points:
- United Methodists in Zimbabwe live out the command in Matthew 25 to visit, clothe and feed those who are imprisoned.
- Expectant mothers incarcerated at Chikurubi Female Prison are gifted welcome packs with essential goods for newborn babies.
- The prison outreach, supported by a group of Zimbabwean Christians who reside in Australia, also provides supplies for men incarcerated at Zimbabwe’s largest maximum-security correctional facility.
A young woman cradles her rounded abdomen as if to protect her unborn baby from the tense environment around her. She walks slowly, responding to the command for her to move while clearly struggling with the limits imposed by her condition.
Mary Sigauke, 25, is one of 10 expectant mothers housed at Chikurubi Female Prison, a stone’s throw from Zimbabwe’s largest maximum-security correctional facility.
Recently, she was gifted baby welcome packs comprising a bathtub, a bucket, diapers, vests, bodysuits, towels, blankets, tracksuits, toiletries and socks sourced by the Rev. Susan Manyange of Chitungwiza United Methodist Church with support from Isaiah 58, a group of Zimbabwean Christians who reside in Australia.
Sigauke’s face lit up as she received the wrapped gifts. “I am grateful for the love shown by The United Methodist Church and their partners,” she said.
Sigauke was convicted of culpable homicide, and the prison will be her home until 2030. She said her husband has not visited since she was imprisoned a few weeks ago.
“I had a few baby clothes, which my mum bought for me, but they were not enough,” Sigauke said. “May the church also show this love and care to others in my situation.”
The visit by church members, including Chitungwiza Marondera District superintendent the Rev. Edith Makufa and connectional ministries director the Rev. Fadzai Chikosi, brightened her day.
Another inmate, who declined to be named, was grateful for the gift from the church. A nurse convicted of peddling hard drugs such as crystal methamphetamine; she said her sentence was meant to deter her from such a crime considering her profession.
“I am happy someone has remembered me and given me a pack, which will be useful when I give birth. But I am expecting twins and would have appreciated a second baby bath,” she joked.
The expectant mother looks forward to leaving the prison when she completes her four-month sentence. She said the prison provides pregnant inmates with access to the best maternal health as they are regularly taken to Parirenyatwa Central Hospital for prenatal checks, ultrasound scans and safe deliveries.
District superintendent Makufa had a message for the inmates: “God is love. He loves you despite your situation. There is a time for everything; you will be released. Even fruits have seasons. It’s just a matter of time. The gift of life is what is important, so pray to God for life and the ability to pass this season.”
The female prison also is home to women who deliver during their incarceration. Prison laws allow them to keep babies until the age of 3 after which their families are requested to take the children and remove them from confinement. Where families are not forthcoming, the children are placed in institutions under the government’s Department of Social Welfare.
The Isaiah 58 group interacted with and befriended United Methodist Manyange during the time she served in Australia. The Bible chapter teaches that true worship is not just about religious rituals but also caring for others, social justice and living with compassion.
The Australian group, including Christians from different denominations, raised over $4,600, which was used to buy goods with guidance from the Zimbabwe Prisons and Correctional Services chaplains based at the different units at Chikurubi.
Requested items included soap, detergent, tissues, peanut butter, petroleum jelly, slippers, journals, pens and bond paper. Prisoners use stationery for learning and for compiling appeals against judgments and sentences.
A psychiatric unit at the prison complex houses more than 400 male inmates who were convicted but judged to have committed crimes due to mental illness. The United Methodists provided them with soap, washing powder and peanut butter, which is added to their porridge since most require the nutrition as they are on medication.
Chikurubi is also home to Zimbabwe’s biggest maximum-security prison where male inmates serving a minimum of 10-year sentences are incarcerated. Their crimes include murder, robbery, fraud, sexual assault, livestock theft, treason and human trafficking. The inmates were supported with toiletries, slippers, stationery and washing powder.
“Prison ministry in The United Methodist Church is very important because it helps to preach the Matthew 25 text,” Makufu said. “Also, it helps to give hope to inmates that one day the jail term will … end, and life still goes on smoothly.”
She said the church becomes family for those inmates whose relatives do not visit them due to stigma associated with crime and incarceration.
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“The church breaks the cycle of brokenness of inmates in the society,” Makufa added. “It restores humanity to inmates. The church creates or mends the bond between inmates and their families and advocates for justice for innocent inmates.
“We also care for inmates’ families by giving psychological, emotional, financial (and) spiritual support and fill the gap when government fails to deliver enough basic needs to inmates. Above all, the church brings spiritual uplifting sermons and songs to inmates, and some will receive Jesus Christ as their savior,” she said.
Manyange’s ministry is characterized by love for outcasts and the downtrodden. Among her favorite projects in Chitungwiza is a church section that she started whose members are commercial sex workers, a trade shunned in society.
Imprisonment is surrounded by stigma with most prisoners becoming excommunicated by their loved ones. In this setting, Manyange has firmly established herself as a friend for inmates since 2010 with Chikurubi female prison as her first assignment.
“I am involved in prison ministry because God calls us to love and care for those who are rejected by society,” she said. “Prisoners also need hope, forgiveness and the good news message of Jesus Christ. The Bible teaches us to remember and visit those in prison.”
For Sigauke and other inmates, the love demonstrated by The United Methodist Church and the Isaiah 58 group makes their time within the walls of the prison more bearable.
Chikwanah is a UM News correspondent based in Harare, Zimbabwe.
News media contact: Julie Dwyer at [email protected]. To read more United Methodist news, subscribe to the free UM News Digest.
