Amachi Faith-Based Initiative for Children of Incarcerated Parents

The Amachi Faith-Based Mentoring Initiative for Children of Incarcerated Parents is more than a program – it’s a passionate response to the needs of children with one or both parents in prison. Big Brothers Big Sisters Amachi mentors offers children of incarcerated parents hope!

These children are invisible to most of us. While there are many programs to help those in prison, there are few viable programs to address the specific needs of these invisible children.

Washington, DC has the highest rate of incarceration in the nation. Given the troubling statistic that children of incarcerated parents are seven times more likely to become incarcerated at some point in their lives, it is imperative for BBBSNCA to expand the Amachi Initiative.

Amachi is a Nigerian term, which expresses the concept, “Who knows what God has brought us through this child.”

BBBS has strategically partnered with these faith communities to implement Amachi: Galilee Baptist Church, Pilgrim Rest Baptist Church, Matthews Memorial Baptist Church, Shiloh Baptist Church, Spirit of Peace Baptist Church and All Souls Church, Unitarian. Other Amachi partners include Prison Fellowship Ministries, Family Ties Program, Hope House, Our Place, DC, DC Child and Family Services and the DC Jail, just to name a few.