‘ have learnt to give not because I have much, but because I know exactly how it feels to have nothing.’
This is a common saying on generosity.
It however aptly describes the work of Patronella Wilson, a level 4.2 Development Studies undergraduate student at Midlands State University’s (MSU) Zvishavane campus.
Hailing from Divide Farm Plots in Guinea fowl Gweru, Patronella says she always had a heart for the underprivileged.
Since January 2020, she spends time in prisons, offering help and moral support to a community that often struggles to maintain mental health and self-esteem.
“I felt I should do something about the prison community, although I have never had any close family member who has been imprisoned,”
“I had a great interest in crime and justice from an early age. I’m really thankful to Tilda Live which has given us an insight into prison life,” says the young philanthropist.
Patronella says her development studies training at MSU is giving her the necessary community involvement knowledge and skills to further her humanitarian work.
“I am trying to fight for a connection between the prison society and the outside community. Prison is not a death camp, rather it is a rehabilitation facility and from prison, great men have been created.
“I don’t fight for offenders to roam around the community, rather I want to help fight crime. I also want to help families that have been wronged to find closure and most importantly, for the accused to realise their mistakes and become better people,” she said.
In 2020, she started an online movement, The Fight for Prisoners, using the hashtag #aprisonerisalsohuman.
She uses her Facebook page to educate people on what she has learnt from the Zimbabwean prison system.
Petronella has engaged with Zvishavane Prison and made donations on different occasions.