APP Trustee Paul Cavadino shares about his recent visit to see APP in action in Uganda
15 December 2011
I spent a fascinating week in November seeing APP’s work in action in Uganda...
I visited APP’s headquarters and resource centre in Kampala, four prisons at Luzira (the Death Row prison, high security prison, remand prison and women’s prison) and local jails at Kitali and Katangasi.
On the first morning of my visit I met around 100 of the condemned prisoners in Luzira’s Death Row prison. In this situation of deep human distress, the prisoners thanked me for APP’s work. They told me that APP had brought them improved health care, a library, education, maintenance diets for HIV positive prisoners, spiritual development and access to legal representation. I had a similar response wherever I went. Prisoners and staff always reacted immediately and positively to the mention of APP and thanked me for the organisation’s work.
I was struck by three things in particular. First, the harshness of the sentencing. Over 500 Ugandan prisoners are on Death Row and offenders can receive five years for stealing a bicycle. Secondly, the extreme depth of human need and suffering in prisons. Prisoners spend 16 hours out of 24 sleeping on concrete floors or mats in extremely overcrowded cells. Thirdly, the way that APP makes a large difference with relatively small resources - exemplified by the fall in the annual death rate at Luzira’s Boma prison from 144 to 12 after APP made improvements in health care.
As a new Trustee, I found it inspiring to see APP’s work and to meet our dedicated staff team.It reinforced my understanding of the way that every penny donated to APP helps to bring hope, purpose and rehabilitation where otherwise prisoners would face hopelessness and despair.
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