A Visit to Bamenda Central Prison

In memory of Pa Paul, Ma Joanna, and Stephen Nkabyo — three lives that never turned away from anyone the world had forgotten. This visit continues what they began.

Event details at a glance:

• Date: Saturday, September 26, 2026
• Time: 10:00 AM
• Location: Bamenda Central Prison, North West Region, Cameroon
• Part of: The Nkabyo & Tamen Families Memorial Thanksgiving Celebration weekend

Join us in person
Support the visit (donate)

Why we’re going

Some of the people we most need to reach are the people the world stops looking for. That was true for our parents, and it is true for us.

On Saturday, September 26th, the MESWETE NKABYO Foundation will visit the men and women held at Bamenda Central Prison. We will bring practical support — food, toiletries, and dignity kits. We will bring our presence, our prayers, and our willingness to sit with people whose days often pass unseen. And we will bring the memory of three people who taught us that no one is ever too far gone to be worth showing up for.

Pa Paul believed that dignity was owed to every person, regardless of their circumstances. Ma Joanna welcomed strangers into our home as if they were family. Stephen refused to accept the boundaries the world drew between “us” and “them.” This visit is not a program — it is their example, lived one morning at a time.

What we’re bringing

Every donation and every pair of hands makes a direct difference to what we can carry through the prison gates that morning.

Practical support we’ll deliver:

• Food supplies — rice, beans, cooking oil, salt, and other staples for the prison kitchen
• Dignity kits — soap, toothbrushes, toothpaste, towels, and personal-care items for individual prisoners
• Clothing — clean, wearable garments for those in need
• Reading materials — Bibles, books, and educational materials for prisoners who want to read and learn
• Medicine and first-aid supplies (subject to prison authority approval)
• A meal shared together — prepared with care, served with respect

What we’ll also bring:

• Time. We will not rush through. We will sit, listen, pray, and be present.
• Words of encouragement — a short message of hope, dignity, and shared humanity
• Follow-up commitment. This is not a one-time visit. We are building a relationship with the prison and its residents that will continue.

How you can help

There is a way for everyone to be part of this, whether you can be with us in person or from afar.

1. Join us in person. If you’re in Bamenda and would like to walk with us into the prison, we welcome you. Please register in advance so we can coordinate with the prison authorities.

2. Donate to fund the visit. Every gift, of any size, goes directly toward the food, dignity kits, and supplies we’ll deliver that morning.

3. Contribute items. If you’d prefer to give in kind — soap, clothing, books, food supplies — we welcome your contribution. Contact us to coordinate drop-off or pickup.

4. Pray with us. For those who pray, hold this visit — the prisoners, the staff, our team, and the families of those inside — in your prayers on the morning of September 26th.

5. Share the story. Tell others about the visit. Awareness is the first step toward more consistent care for the incarcerated in our country.