BOR – “Every time I visited the prison, I encountered female inmates who wanted to feel useful but didn’t know how. So, I decided to do something to help.”
After 30 years working as a prison officer in her home country Gambia, Fatou Njie joined the United Nations Mission in South Sudan with a personal mission in mind: leaving a lasting legacy.
“For me, being a prison officer was always my dream. I knew I wanted to leave a memorable footprint in this world,” shares the 47-year-old.
Driven by her passion to help others, she started spending her evenings exploring ways to improve prisoners’ lives. One night, a YouTube video teaching basic beading activities caught her attention.
“I never really learned how to do anything artistic but, hearing about the benefits of these activities, I decided to teach myself using the lessons on the internet. At the end of the day, it wasn’t about me but about providing female prisoners with something tangible to do.”
Her teaching journey began in Gambia, where she taught these skills to hundreds of inmates.
When deployed with UNMISS to Yei and later Bor, she continued this process with South Sudanese detainees.
The impact of these trainings made her, not only well-known at the local prison but also surrounding ones where the ‘beading lady’ soon inspired other officers to provide similar support.
“I have seen an immense change in behavior. Since we started the trainings, the women are more positive, even dancing and singing. The atmosphere completely changed,” explains Fatou.
Hosting the trainings has also brought her closer to the women she serves.
“These exercises can be quite meditative. While beading, we talk about hopes for the future as well as challenges and past experiences that are hard to process.”
Experiences like 15-year-old Kwaje* who was imprisoned after a canoe she borrowed to go fishing was damaged during a rainstorm. Her and two friends suddenly found themselves in over 4million SSP debt as a result of the incident.
Connecting with Kwaje and hearing her story is a personal but also professional inspiration for the UNMISS corrections officer who is now trying to support a case review so that the customary court can reconsider her nine-month sentence.
If it is successful, Kwaje already knows what’s next for her.
“When I get out, I want to open my own shop, maybe even with some of the women here that have become my friends through the training sessions.”
For Fatou, this is exactly the kind of the meaningful legacy she was wants to leave.
*Name changed for protection purposes
By Jaella Brockmann
