Alpha prison gained momentum in the month of September 2011. These are the stories which have taken place in the last 3 months (September-November). We are at present engaged in 5 prisons in the states of Tamil Nadu and Karnataka. In Karnataka, the prison running Alpha are: Nanjangud Central Prison, Chamrajnagar Central Prison and Mysore Central Prison. In Tamil Nadu, Alpha is runs at Coimbatore Protective Home, Coimbatore Central. Out of these five Prison Centres the Alpha course runs at three for 160 inmates, 40 woman at Coimbatore, 70 men inmates at Chamrajnagar and 50 at Nanjangud. Of late we have permission to conduct the Alpha course inside the Mysore Central Prison and Coimbatore central prison. In the beginning we were not allowed to teach or preach. But after continued visitating, counselling and praying for the inmates in the last three months God, in His grace, has given us favor from the prison authorities. Now we run the Alpha course and handicraft training for the inmates for both the men as well as the women folk.
Of the many inmates we shared the gospel with 26 inmates from Nanjangud and Chamrajnagar Central Prison have accepted Jesus Christ as their Lord and Saviour. 15 of them have been released from prison and now they are attending their local church with their family in Begur (ECI) every Sunday. They travel 20 to 30kms by bus to attend the morning service. That’s how much God has transformed them with His love. These people who were once in bondage are now set free by the blood of the Lamb. They say they have never been the same after accepting Jesus in their life.
Cow comes to the rescue: Some of us who work among these prisoners collected money and donated a cow to the Mysore Central Prison. The cow was bought for Rs. 26000. This was done to help the children whose parents are inmates in prison and the children also live within the prison facility. The idea was to generate income for the inmates for their children’s school fees as well as provide nourishing milk for the children. We raised the funds from Alpha prison partnering churches and friends who share the burden for the inmates and their families.
Paper Jewellery: We are also training the inmates on how to make paper jewellery. This skill development is making a lot of difference to the families of the inmates. By creating exquisite jewellery with readily available paper the income of a family is increased to meet their needs. There is a ready market for these ornaments and the inmates can earn some money for their family even while at prison. Many of them are the bread winners of the family so being able to make money and still provide for the family is a huge boost to the morale of the inmates. Earning Rs. 40 or 50 per day means a lot to them and also gives them a sense of worth within the walls. The prison authorities are happy seeing how we are treating the inmates and seeing their lives being transforming before their very eyes.
In the last few months, we were able to raise 10 Alpha prison partners and 9 Alpha Advisors.
Now that we have gained the trust and confidence of prison authorities and friendship of inmates, we are hopeful that 2012 will be a groundbreaking year for Alpha in Prisons. The targets we hope to achieve this year are: 14 Alpha Prison Trainings for 370 leaders, 50 Prison Centres running 100 Alpha courses and thereby transforming the lives of 5000 inmates.