Maria Ngoda, a 50-year-old woman from Iringa, faced a distressing and emotional reality upon her release from prison. Instead of returning to the family and home she once knew, she discovered that her absence had profoundly altered her children’s lives and the state of her household.
Maria was reportedly imprisoned after being convicted of possessing 12 pieces of antelope meat and sentenced to 22 years, which could have kept her incarcerated until she was 72 years old.
The thought of spending decades in prison was particularly troubling for her as a mother of four. While in custody, she often worried about the years she would miss in her children’s lives.
After three months in prison, Maria was released and returned to Iringa, only to find a home that was drastically different from the one she remembered. Many of her household items, including her bed, mattress, and cooking utensils, were missing, leaving her without the comfort and security she once had.
The situation with her children proved to be even more challenging. During Maria’s absence, her children had to find alternative means of support. One daughter, who had been attending Mlandege Secondary School, dropped out and moved to Dar es Salaam to work as a domestic worker. Meanwhile, other children faced severe hardships, with some entering early marriages and others taking on domestic jobs to meet their basic needs.
Following her husband’s death in 2016, Maria had been the sole parent raising her children. Her imprisonment left the family without their primary caregiver and provider, which resulted in difficult choices for the children at a young age.