Our mission
To bring dignity and hope to men, women and children in prison through healthcare, education, access to justice and community reintegration.
Our vision
Our vision is that prisons in Africa are places of positive transformation and that entering prison does not mean losing hope. We believe depravation of freedom need not mean deprivation of humanity.
The African Prisons Project (APP) is a group of people passionately committed to improving access to healthcare, education, justice and community reintegration for prisoners in Africa. We aim to restore the dignity of those we serve by providing humane conditions and services which help them to regain their humanity. We build and refurbish prison medical and educational facilities, provide innovative services and work to change the attitudes of the societies serve when it comes to criminal justice issues.
Africa is a continent in transition, and its problems are magnified within its detention systems. The plight of detainees is rarely noticed; therefore they receive little help from charitable organisations. Yet they include the most downtrodden and vulnerable - babies imprisoned with their mothers, the mentally ill, children and the illiterate.
APP Blog
A brief look at the causes and cures of overcrowding
26 April 2012
Fyodor Dostoyevsky is quoted as saying “the degree of civilisation in a society can be judged by entering its prisons”. If we were to accept this theory as being accurate there would be many countries across the world deemed uncivilised. One major reason for this is the fact that very often prisons are significantly overpopulated. Overcrowding is a major issue for even the most wealthy nation states, but more so for developing countries in the poorest regions of the world. As one can imagine, Africa suffers greatly from this phenomenon. There are many reasons for this, ranging from authoritarian laws dating back to the colonial era to a massive lack of funding for prison services. More...
Singing for their lives
25 April 2012
Every weekend millions of British families gather around their TV screens eagerly anticipating the next instalment of popular Saturday night TV talent shows The Voice and Britain’s Got Talent, while at Christmas 2011 Gareth Malone’s Military Wives Choir hit the prestigious UK Christmas number one slot as the fastest selling song for six years. Drawn in by the tales of triumph against adversity and an appreciation of talent it is clear from the ratings that we all have a place in our hearts for beautiful music. More...
The most vulnerable are often the most victimised
23 April 2012
Growing up in prison is a sad and troubling prospect but unfortunately is not unusual in many parts of Africa. Although there has recently been positive steps taken globally and regionally, child imprisonment remains a major issue in Africa. There are two categories of children in prison: those serving a prison sentence for criminal activity and those living with their mothers. According to official statistics, children make up between 0.5 and 2.5 per cent of the African prison population, making it very difficult to gain approval for the construction and maintenance of facilities designed to cater for such a small demographic. However, as is the case in Uganda, the actual number of children in prison is significantly higher than reported here. Children in women's prisons in Uganda make up about 10 per cent of the population. Added to the number of imprisoned juveniles under the age of 18, the reality is that children make up closer to 20 per cent of the prison population in this region. More...
Africa Travel Journal
21 April 2012
My trip has come to an end. Over the past weeks I have been in Uganda and South Sudan, before a final brief visit to Kenya – where we are now a registered NGO – before returning home. The highlight of this visit was undoubtedly the opening of a 4000 book library, which you enabled us to construct, for 1800 or so children, mostly offspring of prison warders and wardresses, at Murchison Bay Primary School, Luzira Prisons Barracks, Kampala, on Valentine’s day. The headmistress, teachers and children of the school received the library with joy, despite a few concerns that if the ceremony overran there might be delays in arriving at Valentine’s meals with loved ones! More...
Entering the world of charity blogging
19 April 2012
Entering the world of charity blogging is a fairly intimidating prospect. The APP Twitter feed is a daily reminder of how many people now specialise in social media for the not-for-profit sector. It seems that now everyone knows the ten top tips for social media success. In attempting to learn from these gurus of know-how, this blog will try to avoid merely replicating the news updates that already provide us with comprehensive information on world events. Instead, we hope to highlight fundamental issues and developments that arise in the policy and law affecting our work. Hopefully, in encouraging debate and comment, we will also hear the voices of own beneficiaries; APP will be encouraging those who participate in our access to justice and education projects to add their thoughts and comments. More...