As Muslims around the world celebrate the end of the holy month of Ramadan, 2019 Northern Region Best Farmer, Mr. M.M Awal has provided Eid packs to more than 400 prisoners at the Tamale Central Prison so they can mark the occasion.
“First of all, prison isn’t as easy as everyone makes it out to be. You make it what it is,” says Awal.
“A little bit of a present from outside gives you a bit of reality, a bit of hope.
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“Once you’re behind the door you think everyone’s forgotten about you. Your friends, everyone forgets about you until you get out,” so we need to do something to help them as they are in there, he added.
Mr M.M Awal, who is also the first President of the Union Of African Agricultural Producers Organisation made it clear that the packs are for Muslims in prison but people are still happy to help.
“A lot of them accept, you know, that whatever the crimes may be of the individual they mustn’t be forgotten.
“They must be accepted within the community and that link must be maintained so a lot of people do come forward and we encourage them to come forward and donate generously to this project.”
“I think it will mean a lot to an inmate, certainly because they will feel like they’re not detached from the community,” he said.
“Sometimes the gesture, no matter how small, goes an extremely long way, certainly in relation to their mental well-being within a prison environment.”
A Prison Service spokesman said: “The Prison Service is committed to ensuring that the religious needs of all faiths are met and over the last few years a number of charities have started to give Eid packs to Muslim prisoners.
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“Eid is a time for Muslims to spend with their families and these packs help to establish links for the prisoners in their local faith communities and can assist in their future resettlement.”
He however tasked the government to create an avenue for farmers and empower them to add more productivity in order to have food security in the country.
Farmers across the world have been hit by the Coronavirus Pandemic which has caused food shortages in certain Countries.
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” currently this virus has become an enemy to the world not Africa that has brought hardship to farmers across the world. Farmers who were supposed to have been farming now can’t because of the Pandemic, he continued.