On the 7th of April it was Women’s Day in Mozambique. Therefore, a special celebration has been organized for the inmates of the Ndlavela Women's Prison, placed in the outskirts of Maputo, by the female members of the “Eu DREAM” Movement.
“Eu DREAM” means I dream, but it is also names the program fostered by the Community of Sant'Egidio to fight AIDS and malnutrition.
More then 120 detained women participated to the feats, among them women with small children, pregnant, infirm and aged. They all welcomed this visit with great joy and enthusiasm.
Each one of them received a rose as a sign of affection and good wishes. An occasion to celebrate and give thanks with hymns and dances for the 50th anniversary of Sant’Egidio. Everyone got one kg of rice, sugar, beans and one liter of oil. Most of them, originally from different cities of the country, do not receive visits from relatives.
The celebration ended up with deep feelings and the strong desire to keep listening to words of friendship and hope for the future.
While leaving the large and heavy prison gate behind us, we were not alone: two former inmates with us. After getting closer to the Community, they now wish to actively live both the dream of redemption and the wisdom of memory by visiting those women with no freedom, but full of dreams and hopes.
