In a world where crime continues to pose a serious concern, a lot of effort is being made to address this vice which has been eating the society’s moral fabric.
It is however disheartening to observe that some people have ended up taking the law into their hands by inflicting mob justice on suspects or those condemned. Still, the Malawi Government and its partners remain steadfast in upholding human dignity, even for those who have been condemned by society.
The story of one Baizani Nyadani (real named concealed) is a tale of a man who was once imprisoned but got a second chance and ultimately, transformed into a responsible family man.
Nyadani, now 47, works in Blantyre. He had spent two years behind bars at Mulanje Prison for theft. In 2023, he completed his sentence at Prison Fellowship Malawi, a reformatory centre in Balaka whose mission is to help former inmates reintegrate into their communities with dignity and reconciliation.
“While serving my jail term,
there came an opportunity to apply for reformation programme at Halfway House in Balaka so I tried my luck and was accepted,” he said.
Once in, Nyadani received emotional, spiritual and moral counselling. He also trained as an electrician, a skill that has since changed his life.
“My prison term was a breakthrough because now I’m fully independent. The skills that I got at Halfway House, have empowered me into a responsible man that I’m now able to pay school fees for my children, support my family full time and train others in electric skills. I’m also working on piece works with the electricity company as a linesman in Blantyre,” he added.
Prison life often strips individuals of their dignity. Grace (not her real name), who is another beneficiary of the Halfway House programme under Prison Fellowship Malawi, attests to this. Now 35, Grace was imprisoned at the age of 25 for unlawfully wounding two women following a dispute. She served a three-year sentence but faced severe discrimination upon her return home. Eventually, she joined programme, where she did not just get trained in fashion design and tailoring but it was an initiative which restored her confidence, rendered civic education to her community and also helped her to reconcile with those she wronged.
“Apart from the skills that I was given, the counselling played a big role in my life because out here, life is not simple as an ex convict, we get emotionally tortured as we are not allowed to associate with others, I even got divorced,” explained Grace.
Today, Grace is running a thriving business from the skill that she attained. The tailoring business now takes her as far as Zambia, enabling her to comfortably support her family.
These interventions are transforming lives, turning those once condemned into productive citizens.
According to Malawi Prison Services, many inmates are young people locked up for theft and robberies, often driven by poverty and peer pressure. Its spokesperson, Steve Meke, reaffirmed that government’s commitment is not punishing them but reforming them so that they do not go back to crime after their terms.
“We have reformatory centres for youth criminals in Bvumbwe and Mpemba where the convicts are counselled and trained in different skills. Our wish is to have a changed youth, who learn lessons from their mistakes and are also empowered. Currently, we have a lot of prisoners that are going back to school and writing their secondary school examinations while in jail, all these efforts are to curb crimes and have them go back home in different coats,” said Meke.
Rodrick Zalimba, Director of Prison Fellowship Malawi, a key partner in running the Halfway House programme, echoed Meke’s sentiments. He also advocated for revising the national education curriculum to focus more on practical, vocational skills that would empower the youth to become self-reliant.
The Halfway House programme is said to be effective as, apart from instilling skills in inmates, it offers psychosocial support and integrates them back into their communities, offering reconciliation between the offender and the community. Its effectiveness is rated at 75% and has been running since 2004. A Memorandum of Understanding to start signing inmates with the Malawi Prison Services was done in 2017. Prisoners left with six months to their freedom are taken in into the Halfway programme.
By Rashidah Matandika
