The Angel Tree Project 

No doubt crime remains one of the major problems facing South Africa. It devastates our cities and destroys our peace and security. As normal, the victims carry the brunt of this burden and we implore you to spare a thought for the ‘unrecognised’ victims: the families of offenders - and especially the children.

Thousands of children in South Africa are classified as the ‘Orphans of the Living’. With parents missing or in prison, these children are forced into the care of family members, the State, or even in some cases, they become ‘child headed families’ where the oldest child has to take responsibility for the wellbeing of his/her siblings. For them is not the experience of paternal love, the sanctuary of home, or the joy of family. Their existence for the most part, is characterised by depravation, severe need, and lack of care.

The Angel Tree^® programme serves to reach those children with the love of Christ during this painful period in their lives. By enlisting the aid of local churches and community organisations, Prison Fellowship South Africa makes it possible for inmates to give their children special Christmas gifts.

Angel Tree Project

This year again, PFSA and our partners will facilitate a Christmas party for some 250 children of incarcerated ladies at Pretoria Female Correctional Centre. The sentenced females will be allowed onto the sports fields where under strict supervision, they will be joined by their children and the accompanying care giver, DCS personnel, community members, as well as PFSA volunteers and partners.

Gifts will be supplied to the mothers to give to their children during a day of celebration and festivity – aimed at reconciling broken families and restoring family units, the building blocks of society.

Those inmates due for release by April/May next year, will receive additional focus as the churches they identify as their own will be invited to attend, meet with, and embark upon a journey with these families involved, preparing them for the release of the mother, visiting her once a week for the final three months of incarceration, and being there to receive her on her day of release.

This will serve to establish the Church as the bridge linking the prison-church and the community-church, and receive her into a support and accountability group that will assist her with her reintegration back into society and hold her accountable for her commitment to a life change and becoming a positive, contributing member of society.

On the day, the Gifts, Snack-Packs, and Festive food (boerewors rolls, chips, cold drinks, etc) is provided by PFSA and its partners, and the children are entertained by volunteers dressed as clowns. A short Christmas message is given, and the mothers hand over the gifts.

Benefits of Angel Tree^®

In addition to the initial purpose of helping to reconnect the often broken bonds between an inmate and her child, and re-establishing the inmate as the parental figure, a small first step in normalising the family unit, Angel Tree^® has many additional and far-reaching benefits and offers itself as an intervention opportunity for moral regeneration resulting in lowering the crime rate and establishing safe, prospering communities.

Date and Venue

The Department of Correctional Services has set and confirmed Thursday, 18^th November, 08h00 – 13h00 as the most suitable date for this year’s Angel Tree^® programme in Pretoria Female Correctional Centre.

Appeal

We humbly, yet urgently invite you to partner with PFSA to ensure that this day will be a success, by sponsoring ‘Snack-packs’ for the children. We will need some 250 snack-packs consisting of a cold drink, a packet of Nick Nacks, five small Fizzers, three lollipops, two balloons, and a small handful of assorted sweets. We would also welcome any donations in the form of funding (for the food, drinks, or gifts)

For purposes of financial donations, please use the following banking details: Prison Fellowship SA, ABSA Bank Montana, Cheque Acc. No. 406 791 7042 (please use ‘Angel Tree’ as reference) PFSA is a Section 21 Company Reg. No. 93 0775/08