Fundraiser to feed and free 13 LGBTI prisoners is starting slowly
Donors can help imprisoned victims of African anti-homosexuality laws
Donations to feed and free 13 imprisoned LGBTI victims of homophobic laws in Cameroon and Nigeria have started off slowly.
If you are in a position to donate, please do.
So far, Project Not Alone 2023 has received $958. Last year, we received donations totaling $6,839 to feed and free 7 prisoners.
This year we’re hoping for $11,891 to feed and free 13 prisoners — seven gay men, four lesbians and two trans women in Cameroon and Nigeria, where all of them are locked up for whom they love.
None of them was arrested or convicted for any crimes other than violating their nation’s laws against homosexuality.
Specifics about all 13 can be found here.
This year’s financial goal includes:
- $4,817 to pay fines and court costs of convicted prisoners. This is our first priority, based on what detainees have told us in the past. When there’s a choice to be made, they’d prefer to have money used to get them out of prison early rather than to buy them nutritious food for their remaining days in prison.
- $3,002 for legal expenses (filing fees, copying charges, etc.) incurred by attorneys working pro bono.
- $2,974 for food and hygiene items ($58 per detainee per delivery, which are scheduled every two months if donors make that possible and if detainees have not yet been released.) The deliveries of hygiene supplies and supplementary food make the prisoners’ lives more bearable during the months while they await release from their dirty prison cells, surviving on one filthy, poorly cooked meal a day.
- $1,098 for transportation and admission charges for the project’s frequent prison visits.
Your donation is needed. Taken together with others’ gifts:
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- $20 is enough to cut a prisoner’s sentence by one week.
- $100 is enough to cut that sentence by 5 weeks.
- $200 is enough to cut that sentence by 10 weeks.
- $333 will pay that fine in full, eliminating the entire extra 16 weeks of imprisonment. (To be clear: Paying the fine in full is needed to set the prisoners free early, which is why many donations are needed.)
- $8 will pay for a sack of onions for a delivery to prisoners.
- $23 will pay for a large sack of peanuts to be shared by prisoners.
- $18 will pay the prison admission fee for the two LGBTI activists delivering food to LGBTI prisoners.
- $36 will pay both the entrance fee and the LGBTI activists’ cost of transportation to and from the prison.
U.S. tax-deductible donations to Project Not Alone 2023 may be made via:
- The “Donate” button on the Facebook page of the St. Paul’s Foundation (Our favorite because Facebook charges us no transaction fees, but the button might not appear on mobile devices.)
- PayPal
- DonorBox
- By sending a check to St. Paul’s Foundation, 21 Marseille, Laguna Niguel CA 92677 USA.) Please write “Project Not Alone” on the memo line.
