DWU students reach out to forgotten women behind bars this Christmas

While many families prepare to celebrate Christmas together, a group of Divine Word University students in Alotau chose to spend the festive season with women who would otherwise be forgotten behind prison walls.

Members of the Milne Bay Students Association [MBSA] of DWU carried out a donation drive and visitation to female inmates at the Correctional Service Giligili Prison, sharing food, gifts and companionship ahead of Christmas Day.

Association President Simone Waikaidi said the initiative was driven by a sense of responsibility to give back to the wider Milne Bay community that supports their education.

She said many MBSA members, from first to fourth year, benefit from Tertiary School Fee Assistance programs funded by the province’s four districts, making it important for students to show gratitude through service.

The students visited the female inmates’ compound bearing sanitary items and reading materials, and shared a meal, cake and fellowship with the inmates and correctional officers.

CS officer Elizabeth Muli acknowledged the students’ efforts, saying that inmates are often overlooked during festive periods.

“During times like Christmas, prisoners are easily forgotten. This visit means a lot and we thank the students for remembering them,” she said.

There were initially five female inmates at the facility, however three completed their sentences and were released before the visit took place last Friday.