Activities of Philemon

General

The Philemon vision is to change lives and rebuild society across Kenya and East Africa.

To do so, Philemon works with Government and civil society groups, local churches and international partners. It helps prisoners of all faiths and none, providing services regardless of age, disability, gender or orientation.

Philemon is currently at work in Kenya:

• Visiting prisons to address prisoners' physical, emotional and spiritual needs
• Providing community for former prisoners in Kenya's first halfway home and through local peer support networks
• Teaching key life and employment skills, nurturing character, encouraging change, and mentoring
• Supporting former prisoners in the process of reconciliation with their families, establishing sustainable livelihoods for themselves and becoming servant-leaders of their communities
• Engaging in policy dialogue and reform of the criminal justice and prison systems

Welfare

The work of Philemon in the prisons include welfare support, by distributing toilet paper, biscuits, soup and other necessities; meeting prisoners educations and spiritual needs; distributing bibles and other spiritual materials;

and organising prison fellowship groups and meetings.

Five prison life groups meet every Saturday in five prisons in four provinces, where the groups work through a variety of studies on topics dealing with everyday issues. The aim of the life groups is to prepare prisoners for release through support and family reconciliation, and to offer guidance on challenges faced upon release, including employment, housing and stigma.