East London, South Africa :: 200 inmates receive glasses at a nearby prison and hope is shared on a radio broadcast, live from the Visitor Experience deck
Logos Hope recently teamed up with Passion for People, an organisation which has been working for several years alongside inmates at a correctional centre, located in the vicinity of Logos Hope’s dock in East London, South Africa.
One Saturday morning, a dozen crewmembers joined Passion for People team members to load the van with boxes of glasses and other equipment needed for eyesight tests with the inmates later that day.
In the men’s and women's sections, the day's programme followed the same pattern: eye tests for reading and far-sight issues, then fitting and selecting the glasses. At around midday, the crew shared their stories during a break.
There was a joyous atmosphere among the women in the dining room where the tests were taking place. When they finally received their glasses and were invited to test them by reading the menu on the wall, their faces lit up with smiles, while others found tears rolling down their cheeks.
In all, nearly 200 inmates (male and female) received glasses during the visit.
One prisoner, Abi*, shared her joy at now being able to read and see better. "Before, I couldn't look people in the eye,” she said, “But now I can. The world is more colourful.”
Helping alongside the crew was Caron (South Africa), a member of the port committee for the ship’s visit to East London and presenter at Link FM, a local radio station. On the same day, she also broadcast for Link FM from the International Café on board Logos Hope. As she herself was an inmate six years ago, Caron shared, "I wanted to be a part of [this] today because I wanted the women to see that there is life after prison, so that they’ll be encouraged.”
Cindy (South Africa), who has been a member of Passion for People for 13 years, helped to organise the team’s visit. "I was very excited [when Logos Hope reached out], because we know the need. For a lot of the inmates, their family want nothing to do with them. So, they don't get the basics they need,” she explained.
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