Antalaha Prison and Sambava Prison Farm Update. Sanitation Crisis in Morondava and Antsirabe Prisons.
Dear Friends,
In March and April of this year, we carried out extensive renovations in Antalaha prison blocks 1 and 2. This included deep cleaning, repainting, replacing the rusted-out roofs and the installation of turbine ventilators to improve air circulation. The last 4 blocks still need to be finished as they are practically uninhabitable by any standard, plus they are hot as the dickens at night and stuffy to the point where some inmates die of insufficient oxygen.
In my April blog “Delay Means Dead,” I made an appeal for $10,000 to complete chambers 3,4,5,6.
Thanks to the generous donations that have come in during the last couple of months. We now have the necessary funds to finish this project. We feel held inside a circle of light because of your gifts, support, and kind-heartedness.
To remind you of what I am speaking, the following images are before and after photos of chambers 1 and 2.
We will keep you updated. At present, Maoly is taking a well-deserved break at home with his family. This comes after an intense three-month period during which he oversaw the construction of the prison farm. As you may have seen in our previous blog post, the building has been completed, again thanks to your generous contributions. This achievement is a direct result of your support and donations.
We still need seed money (literally!) to now develop the 150 acres farmland but we are optimistic.
https://youtu.be/Qb9uc_RVgdw
Last year, Bruce and I stayed in Morondava for about 3 weeks. He worked in the hospital and I popped into the Morondava Prison and made friends with the Director. I used donation money to purchase school supplies for the kids to last a few months, and funded the repainting of the boy’s ward. I was aghast at the open sewage and the sanitation crisis there, and promised myself to look into it when we had the funding.
Later, after leaving Morondava, I accompanied Elson and Hanitra to the Antsirabe Prison. The sanitation there was equally awful. I wonder if this is the situation in all Malagasy prisons. Not too surprising considering the overcrowding and lack of funds for maintenance.
Last month, Elson, Hanitra and our contractor Francel drove for a full day to Morondava to assess the prison situation. They agreed that the situation there is completely out of hand, so we all committed to prioritize these projects. Renovating Antalaha prison 3,4,5,6 blocks is pending due to the sanitation urgency in Morondava and Antsirabe. Now it is the cooler season in Antalaha and the men’s quarters can wait a couple of months. The following is a video I did of our proposed project. It is less than three minutes long so please take the time to watch.
On behalf of Hanitra, Elson, Maoly, Bruce and I plus the prisoners who desperately need our help, again,
DEEP APPRECIATION TO YOU FOR YOUR GOODWILL, BLESSINGS, AND HEARTFELT DONATIONS!
