Bible Society donates 900 Bibles to ZCS

Thu, 23 Feb 2017 11:38:52 +0000

By AARON CHIYANZO

THE Bible Society of Zambia has donated 900 Bibles to Zambia Correctional Service (ZCS) in an effort to ensure that inmates are transformed into law abiding citizens who can be easily integrated into society.

Speaking at the handover ceremony in Lusaka yesterday, Bible Society of Zambia board treasurer Annie Chimota said that the Society acknowledged the work ZCS had been doing in ensuring that the inmates reformed.

Ms Chimota said that the human effort was imperative in the transformation process of inmates and that the Bibles would help guide officers on how to handle inmates.

She explained that the Bibles were sacred because they were the only consignments in the store room which were not guttered by the fire which had engulfed Bible Society house recently.

“We acknowledge the work ZCS is doing in transforming our brothers and sisters in incarceration. The human effort is imperative in the transformation process of inmates and these Bibles will help guide officers on how to handle inmates as well,” said Ms Chimota.

Meanwhile, ZCS commissioner general Percy Chato advised the general public not to discriminate against ex- convicts but help re-integrate them into society.

He said that people should be able to embrace them because every human being needs to be loved and treated with care.

Mr Chato pointed out that every person needed to be treated fairly regardless of whether they were in incarceration or not.

He said that the donation of 900 Bibles was timely as it would soften the hearts of officers as they executed their duties of ensuring that prisoners were transformed.

Mr Chato explained that the service was currently undergoing a paradigm shift from a prisons service to a correctional service and that it required imparting Christian values in both the officers and the inmates.

“This donation will help drive the reform process in our inmates as it will help soften the hearts of our officers. So, this donation of 900 Bibles is timely because we are actually undergoing a paradigm shift from a prisons service to a correctional service. There is need to instill Christian values in our offices as well as the inmates,” he said.

And Mr Chato thanked the Bible Society for the donation and promised to circulate them across the country for the men and women in uniform to use.

He called on all faith-based organisations to emulate the Bible Society of Zambia and help in the successful transformation of inmates into law abiding citizens.