2016
File information | File dimensions | File size | Options |
Original JPG File | 5616 × 3744 pixels (21.03 MP) 18.7 in × 12.5 in @ 300 PPI |
4.2 MB | Download |
Website and Low resolution print | 2000 × 1333 pixels (2.67 MP) 6.7 in × 4.4 in @ 300 PPI |
565 KB | Download |
Screen | 850 × 567 pixels (0.48 MP) 2.8 in × 1.9 in @ 300 PPI |
147 KB | Download |
Preview | Screen Preview |
147 KB | View |
Named person(s)
Joel's real name is Issaka Sore.
Date photo taken
23 February 2016
Country of origin
Burkina Faso
Region
Africa
Photo credit
James Souder
Themes
Education and training
Description
Calendar caption: Young people arrested for nonviolent crimes in Burkina Faso often face prison time, reducing their chances for education or jobs. MCC partner Lieux de Vie (Places of Life) helps them regain a future. After being caught stealing crates of soda, Joel (name changed for privacy reasons) was able to spend the last half of a six-month prison sentence as a carpenter’s apprentice and got help finding a job at a hardware store. After a year of manual labor, he began managing the store and dreams of opening his own shop. “Lieux de Vie gave me the chance to rebuild my life,” he says. (MCC Photo/James Souder)
Further information: In Burkina Faso, young non-violent offenders like Joel can face up to several years in prison for petty crimes like stealing a bike. Their incarceration strips them of the opportunity to continue school and reduces their likelihood of finding a job. Fortunately, three months into his sentence Joel heard about Lieux de Vie (Places of Life), an innovative program that uses restorative justice principles to provide apprenticeship opportunities to non-violent offenders, allowing them to gain trade skills and training them to become productive members of society. With approval from the prison’s judicial council, Joel spent the second half of his prison sentence working with a carpenter while living at Lieux de Vie facilities. After finishing his apprenticeship, Joel was faced with a decision: Would he return to his previous habits, or move forward by making an honest living? With encouragement from Lieux de Vie, Joel found a job at a hardware store delivering construction materials. After a year of manual labor, Joel was promoted to manage the shop and sell items to customers. Someday he hopes to open his own store and dreams of visiting the United States.