#WATWB: Mother of Millions – Caring for Children Born in Prison

Posted: 2018/06/29 in Blogging
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Have you ever thought about the children born in prison? The innocent young souls locked up behind bars with their parents?

When pregnant mothers are arrested and sentenced to years in prison, their babies, when delivered, become prisoners as well. These children grow up in the sickening filth of the prisons, surrounded by criminals, including murderers, conmen, thieves, child molesters, etc, and are watched over by cruel, inhuman guards who sometimes beat up their parents as they watch. When their parents have to work outside the prison walls, the babies too are made to wear prison outfits for identification.

It is a harsh, traumatizing life. It is horrifying to imagine a child growing up in such circumstances.

In Zambia, there is a light that shines for these children, growing bigger and bigger everyday.

Faith Kalungia cares for these children. Faith has a deep, resourceful heart, and she has always loved the disadvantaged and the marginalized. When she visited Lusaka Central Prison in 2012, she had a nightmare seeing the children there, dirty, sick, lonely children, having no school to go to, having never seen the outside world. Their ages ranged from newborns to toddlers.

“When a mother gives birth, there is always celebration, but the first a place a child calls home is that prison,” she says.

Faith set up a school for them, hired teachers and social workers to take of them. She experienced challenges with the authority and with finance but she managed to give those children a better life. She started Mother of Millions Foundation. She now has 500 children under her care. She takes care of 5 prisons.

“In her early life Faith dreamt of one day owning an orphanage. At just 14 years of age she convinced her parents to adopt street children and send them to school so they could have a better future. In 2012 Faith visited the Lusaka Central Prison in Zambia to hand in donations to the female inmates, but she was shocked to find kids roaming around the prison grounds. Faith then quit her job and created the Mother of Millions foundation, which gives education, nutrition and playtime to children growing up in prisons in Zambia.”

Faith’s rich story is found here.

Faith Kalungia

Faith Kalungia, BBC

This is the 15th celebration of the WE ARE THE WORLD BLOGFEST #WATWB which is carried out every last Friday of the month, and which aims to spread love and positiveness in this vulnerable world. A celebration of heroes who can still restore our faith in humanity, especially in this period when our world seems to be full of endless series of horrible happenings.

Our generous co-hosts for this month are: Shilpa GargDamyanti Biswas, Dan AntionMary. J. Giese, and Simon Falk.

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To sign up for We Are The World Blogfest, please see the guidelines below.

~~~GUIDELINES~~~

  1. Keep your post to below 500 words, as much as possible.
  2. All we ask is you link to a human news story on your blog on the last Friday of each month, one that shows love, humanity, and brotherhood. Something like this news  about a man who only fosters terminally ill children.
  3. Join us on the last Friday of each month in sharing news that warms the cockles of our heart. No story is too big or small, as long as it goes beyond religion and politics, into the core of humanity.
  4. Place the WE ARE THE WORLD Badge on your sidebar, and help us spread the word on social media. Tweets, Facebook shares, G+ shares using the #WATWB hashtag through the month most welcome. More Blogfest signups mean more friends, love and light for all of us.
  5. We’ll read and comment on each others’ posts, get to know each other better, and hopefully, make or renew some friendships with everyone who signs on as participants in the coming months.
  6. To signup, add your link in WE ARE THE WORLD Linky List
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Comments
  1. Tish Farrell says:

    A shining star of a woman. Thank you for posting this story.

  2. Miss Andi says:

    Wow, what an amazing lady dedicating her life to others!

  3. God bless her and all like her!! Thank you Peter for shining your light. This made my day!

  4. What determination and compassion Faith has demonstrated. Kudos to her for the difference she’s making in so many lives. Great story – thanks for sharing.

  5. Dan Antion says:

    Peter, I am always amazed and uplifted by the wonderful caring people you find. This gives me hope!

    • Peter Nena says:

      Thank you Dan. They uplift me too. I have been angry a lot lately due to some events in Kenya. It was announced last week that we have been consuming sugar containing Mercury Chloride and some compounds of copper and lead. Knowing how dangerous mercury ans lead are, and that when consumed they can accumulate in the bones for a long time and kill you later on I have been angry at the government and the people who killed the local sugar industries so that they could import cheap sugar. But people like Faith do restore hope in humanity. Thanks.

    • Peter Nena says:

      In January this year, there was a report that the milk we consume in Nairobi contain formalin, hydrogen peroxide, and disinfectants among other poisons. I stoped using milk.I have been thinking one day these people will kill us all. The president has the largest company in East Africa selling milk and milk products. Like his brothers and friends who import sugar containing Mercury Chloride and lead and copper, he just wants to be stupidly wealthy. It is sick. I finally understood the meaning of sacrificing other people for a god.

    • Peter Nena says:

      They both like each other. Actually, I think they are friends. Ours was one of the first heads of state to congratulate yours in 2016. Then yours returned the favour by supporting ours throughout the violent and sham elections we had last year. They are so much alike, though, using their elected positions to promote their own personal business interests.

  6. bikerchick57 says:

    I admire Faith so deeply, for her caring heart and care of these children. It is people like this that gives hope to the world and makes me realize that there are so many good people out there taking care of humanity. Faith will leave a lasting legacy in Zambia, one that I hope lives on in years to come.

    • Peter Nena says:

      Thank you Mary. Her legacy will live for a long, long time. She touches people’s hearts, changes their lives for the better. That kind of legacy usually lasts a long because it becomes part of the person so changed. Those children and their mothers will live with the love they have been shown.

      • bikerchick57 says:

        It’s awful that kids have to spend their childhood in prison with mom. Is there no foster home system in Kenya? Or what happened to the dad or either’s family?

      • Peter Nena says:

        There are foster homes in Kenya. I volunteered in one back in 2010. But the story is from Zambia, down in Southern Africa. The way those kids are given prison uniforms whenever they leave the prison premises with their parents, maybe their government likes them in prison. A government by politicians is the worst kind of government.

      • bikerchick57 says:

        Oh right, Peter, I knew it was Zambia. I shouldn’t comment at 6 am, before coffee! I can’t imagine a government that thinks it’s okay to imprison children and put them in uniforms…and, yet, we have a President that thought it would be okay to separate immigrant children from their parents and hold them in cages. I don’t understand the heartlessness and cruelty in these actions by both countries.

    • Peter Nena says:

      6am is a woozy time, agreed. The kind of leaders popping up around the world at this point in time is worrying. It is as if they are playing deaignated roles, preparing the way for something else to take over. It is as if they intend fill the world with anger and mistrust, despair and apathy.

  7. What an amazing soul she is! Thanks for bring her story to the blogfest

  8. hilarymb says:

    Hi Peter – what an amazing woman Faith is … and to have that dreamt of an orphanage aged just 14: well she’s fulfilling those early dreams – not exactly, but perhaps in a better way. I hadn’t heard of her initiative … fantastic – it is appalling how our leaders seem unable to care for our fellow human in a reasonable way. Take care and Faith is just inspiring – cheers HIlary

  9. Kalpana says:

    Faith is such an inspiring young woman. And she convinced her parents to adopt street children and send them to school before the age of 14? That is just so wonderful. Thank you for this lovely tale.

  10. There’s a beautiful message in your story – that children of prisoners are innocent of their parents’ crimes and deserve care. God bless Faith for all that she is doing to help these unfortunate children. Thank you for sharing this news.

  11. swamiyesudas says:

    Blessings on this Dear Lady, Faith. So Uplifting to read what she is doing. And Thanks and Kudos to You for sharing this. Love and Blessings. 🙂

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