The Ghanaian government has been called upon to put in place more pragmatic measures to ensure that, the dignity and human rights of inmates of prisons across the country are not compromised.
There also is the need for other state institutions, especially the Department of Defense to collaborate effectively with organizations, institutions including non-profits and individual philanthropists to complement government efforts at ensuring that people serving terms for various offenses do not lose their respect and human rights.
These calls were made by the founder and president of a US-based 501(c) non-profit organization, Unlimited Cancer Care International, UCCI, Agivert Jackson when she and her team paid a visit to the Kumasi Central Prisons in the Ashanti Region of Ghana.
The visit formed part of UCCI’s activities that marked this year’s “UCCI Ghana Projects 2024” in the West African country.
Under the management of a Ghanaian-based entity, LYB Legacy Limited, the leadership of UCCI, including three African Americans, took the opportunity to interact with the female inmates at the prisons.
Ms. Jackson said that even though UCCI is a cancer-related non-profit and non-governmental organization, it understands that female inmates in the nation’s prisons and prisons across the world, especially in Africa, need love, care, and education on all forms of health conditions including cancers to enable them to apply the accompanying preventive measures to those diseases.
“It is important to preach the message of preventive measures against cancers to society out there, but it is more important to extend the message to you here in the prisons,” she said.
This according to Ms. Jackson is more because, “you in incarcerations for diverse reasons are more restricted and limited to opportunities to taking care of your health needs, compared to those outside of the prisons”.
She urged them not to take their health needs for granted because, “short of being here, you are still valuable to society”.
“After your term here, you get released back to the communities and societies from where you came and you need to be integrated into those societies healthy enough to contribute your quota to these communities as you live the new normal away from the confines of the four corners here at the prisons wards,” Ms. Jackson said.
“Today we are glad for the opportunity that has been offered us by your officers here to interact with you and to share the message of hope. Hope that hinges on the backs of cancer preventive awareness and we are optimistic that, this meeting, though brief would go a long way to save, a least one of you from contracting cancer, just because you lacked the requisite education on how to prevent the disease.”
“Today, we feel obliged to also make a cash donation to all of you women here. Please take this as our widow’s mite towards alleviating the difficult times here. Going forward, Unlimited Cancer Care International would put you in our plans so we are able to better support your being here,” she said.
The founder of another US-based charity organization, M&B Foundation, partners with Unlimited Cancer Care International who came to Ghana to support the cancer awareness campaigns, Dr. Zakiyyah Backman, encouraged the inmates not to despair.
“From the United States to Ghana has been revealing, especially on this project with Unlimited cancer Care International, but seeing you here today, excites me so much that, we feel prouder and happier that we made this trip,” she said.
“I say this because we at M&B Foundation see this visit as another important reason to continue to support the UCCI Ghana projects so you all can receive some form of support in the future. We would put in measures to ensure that, you ladies here continue to receive some donations from our charity through UCCI. I came here to encourage you that you are not alone. You have our prayers and support”, she added.
In a related development, Unlimited Cancer Care International paid for the eyeglasses of another prison inmate at the Manhyia Prisons in Kumasi.
The inmate of the Manhyia local prisons and secretary of the church in the prison, Festus Sakyi had sent a handwritten letter through the President of the Grace Baptist Church prisons Ministry, Mr. Thomas Appiah, to UCCI for help.
Mr. Appaiah who is also the founder of a WhatsApp group, “Friends of Female Prisons” after presenting the letter of appeal for support, received the cash donation on behalf of the inmate.
Mr. Appiah after receiving the cash donation was full of praise for UCCI.
“May the Lord continue to bless you and your team for the gesture towards our friends in the prisons,” he said.
In a show of appreciation, the Prisons service wrote to UCCI for its humanitarian support to the inmates.
Dated August 19, 2024, the letter of appreciation, addressed to the founder president of UCCI, expressed profound appreciation of the Ghana Prisons Service, Female Prisons to UCCI.
Signed by the Assistant Director of Prisons in charge, Hannan Hilda Ewoame, the letter added, “I am deeply grateful for your gesture. Once again, I say thank you and God bless you”.
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