Nampula (Mozambique) - The commitment of the Community of Sant'Egidio in African prisons: other 25 prisoners released over the past three month
November 21, 2010

In Mozambique continues the Community's commitment in visiting the prisoners in prisons. In recent years the friendship has grown with many of them. Friendship that continues even when they are transferred to prisons outside the city, in other districts. People of the Community continue to visit him, despite the distances, even whem the family can't go anymore.
The Mozambican legal system provides that part of the prison sentence can be settled with a fine. This would allow those who have already spent more than half the sentence in prison to leave with payment of a fine.

But many people can not face a charge that amounts to nearly a hundred euro. A large sum for those who have nothing. In these cases the Community will bear the expense, enabling the poorest to go home within a reasonable time.

The same happened to A. D., a single mother with two twins less than one year old. The Community has paid the fine and so has avoided one month more in jail. After the liberation A. told us: "Today I am very happy, not just for myself, but for my children who will able to grow up in a normal environment, not within the walls of a prison."

Some detainees freed by the intervention of the Community are under age, others are sick with AIDS.

One of them said "I am very happy: I got the light of God in the very moment when I was desperate."

In fact, many people tell of the desperation that takes them, especially when, being away from family, they don't receive visits.

But in Mozambique, the Community of Sant'Egidio is a large family, living in hundreds of towns and villages. This allows to visit the detainees, even when they end in "remote areas". It happened to C. who said: "I didn't even hope that the brothers of the Community were to see me again, I thought I would be forgotten because of the distance that separates Nampula from Muecate, but now I do, I believe that God is father."