El Inca Prison Reflections...

After these past two days, with my two visits to the prison, I'm feeling pretty emotionally drained. I will make this a quick post anyway... just wanted to let you all know that I'll be heading out tomorrow, as scheduled, so this will be my last post from Ecuador.

What an experience the prison visits have been. I was able to bring both my still camera and my video camera into El Inca (thanks to Joan Ewan and the strings she was able to pull -- no easy feat!!!), so I have some photos and footage to share with those interested. I was pretty overwhelmed by the whole thing, and moved to tears many times during both visits. Any pre-conceived notions one might have can never prepare you for the actually experience "on the inside." And yet, despite the conditions, the women I got to know who are involved in Joan's weekly Bible Study have such joy in their hearts and such thankfulness for any little show of caring or kindness. They all so warmly thanked me for coming, and wanted me to be sure to express their thanks for the gifts brought them from the money donated by my church family, and I felt only that I should be the one thanking them -- It has blessed me so deeply to be given the opportunity to be welcomed into their world!

These two photos show the young women in Joan's Bible Study group, working on the homemade cards that they have developed into a small business within the prison. Individual input of time is tracked, and profits from selling cards to folks on the outside (through Joan) are shared accordingly. With these meager earnings, the women can purchase food and other items at the prison store, instead of being tempted to submit to blackmail or bribes to obtain food and basic necessities. They can also buy things like phone cards to keep in touch with family in their home countries.

Did you know...? Inmates at El Inca are provided only ONE meal per day. And women who have children must share that one meal with their children! That's right -- No individual meals are provided to the children! It's pretty obvious how this could place so many of the women in vulnerable positions, especially when many come into the prison system with an already-low self-esteem.

The photo to the right was one I shot from the interior courtyard, of the laundry hanging from outside the inmates' windows. Each of these "double-wide" windows is actually two windows looking out from two different cells, each cell housing at least 2 or 3 women. The prison cells are tiny cubicles that some have managed to build bunk bed systems in to help make the best use of the very limited space. It really makes you appreciate what you may have once considered cramped quarters at home!