In March 2007 our team from Cornerstone visited the prison in Bluefields, Nicaragua. We administered to the inmates - provided an eye glasses clinic for some the men, and care packages to the few women. The impression the team had was that the prison was hot and very crowded (even though we were conducting ourselves within the courtyard).

I was shocked to learn from this story reported in the University of Calgary newspaper that minors, children ages 12-17, are being held in that facility. Having been to that prison in 2007 and having passed it many times in 2008, we never guessed that there was anyone but adults there.

I find it astonishing that children are being held in cramped quarters with other inmates, but in a region where money for infrastructure is nearly non-existent, and overcrowding is the norm, I really shouldn’t be surprised by this harsh reality.

The uplifting part to this story is that Bruce Callow, a Canadian living in Costa Rica, helped raise $15,000 to create two new jail cells for the children at the prison. Through this initiative, books have also been donated to those cells so that the kids can learn skills while there.

While it’s never a nice story to hear about children, crimes, and prison, it is comforting to hear about someone else so passionate in helping ease the suffering of others in Bluefields.

Technorati Tags: prison, Bluefields, Nicaragua, children, Bruce Callow

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