Inspirational Woman: Jo Hobson

 Our inspirational woman today is Jo Hobson!

We first met Jo quite a number of years ago in Iringa, Tanzania when she came with her wonderful parents (who are also pretty inspirational) to visit our good friends Andy and Angela (who are also very inspirational). We've been able to meet her a couple of times since then and are inspired by her vibrant, fun character (I don't think the girls actually knew what Jo did when they first met her!) combined with her servant-hearted commitment and dedication to working with women in and coming out of prison.

Jo co-founded and manages ID Essence, (which grew out of Kahaila church in East London, and is now part of ID Prison Ministry), working to mentor young women (ages 18-25), giving them training and resettlement support both in prison and then in their communities. Jo and the team work to break the cycle of offending through holistic mentoring, pastoral support and through life skills courses. Giving women skills and confidence, a true sense of identity to realise their full potential and be positive contributors to society. Jo is also actively working hard to challenge social injustice and raising awareness and providing resources through a Social Justice project to bring about change. 

Jo's heart for these women is for restoration, and she sums it up beautifully here... 

"There are no winners in crime. It can leave communities and all those affected feeling broken and fractured. We believe restoration is at the heart of the Christian faith and who God is. Our hope is that our work will reflect this by beginning to bring restoration where there has been harm. We want to help women in prison to feel restored in the way they view themselves and others.   

True restoration requires work on all sides and so it is our hope to see our society begin to grow in its understanding of people in prison, and the wider social injustices that have led them to be there. We believe that understanding is key to enabling communities to move through the fear, anger, hurt and stigma that surrounds crime and those convicted of crime."

We asked Jo to tell us about a woman who has been an inspiration to her. She told us about Sister Helen Prejean, who inspired her to work with people in prison. Sister Helen (born 1939) has been a leading American advocate for the abolition of the death penalty. She has ministered to inmates on death row and also founded Survive, a organization devoted to counseling families of victims of violence. 

So today, we just want to thank and celebrate Jo for the important work that she does. Compassionate love and faith in action! And also recognise and pray for all the young women she and her team are working with, women on a journey, vulnerable and hurting, traumatised and struggling, that they would know that they are created in the image of God, created with a purpose and that they could live in the freedom and fullness of what that is.

Here is a link where you can read more about the amazing work Jo does with ID Essence and support them.

And once again thank you so much for your support for The Hive! Here is the link if you would like to contribute ... it all helps! We are so grateful to all who have given and shared! Thank you!

Tomorrow is International Women's Day! Don't forget to share about a woman who has inspired you. And don't forget to sign up for the Ready Steady Cook Challenge on Saturday 13th!