About us
The Agape Foundation is a non-profit organization registered in the Netherlands, ministering to inmates imprisoned in Mexico City.
Mexican prisons are different from those in other countries. Gangs are very active, weapons and drugs are shockingly easy to obtain. Many facilities are severely overcrowded, with between 37 and 43 per cent of prisoners still awaiting trial. As a result, a cell built for 5 people is often occupied by 15, with dim lighting, poor ventilation, and limited access to food, clothing and hygiene items.
We regularly encounter cases where bureaucracy unjustly declares individuals guilty, separating them from their families due to lack of resources for legal representation.
Mission
As an international Christian foundation based in Mexico City, Agape is committed to assisting individuals suffering in prisons. This mission includes a dedicated commitment to visit penitentiary centers. We collaborate with churches, organizations and individuals who share our calling.
Vision
Our projects empower incarcerated individuals to find a destination and reclaim their lives. The Agape Foundation seeks to inspire others to realize their potential in life with a profound sense of dignity, belonging, and destiny in Christ.
Goal
To enhance the well-being of incarcerated individuals in Mexico City, recognizing that our Christian identity is our priority. Our ministry aims to provide support in several areas:
How to achieve these goals
- Share the message of God’s love.
- Provide personalized mental health assistance to detainees, helping them discover their identity and create a path to a new beginning.
- Organizing educational events in prison to stimulate mental and spiritual growth.
- Providing food, clothing and care packages and Bibles to those who are unable to afford them, and whose families are unable to help them.
- Organizing volunteer exchange trips in which people from other countries can develop in the field of culture, legal systems and the world of detainees
Why the name Agape?
Agape represents the highest form of love, extending not only to friends but also to enemies. It is the purest and most selfless love that exists, desiring nothing in return. Through our foundation, we aim to share this transformative way of loving with others through both words and actions.
Meet the Team
Agape was founded by Mirjam van der Vliet while she saw the urge of the prisoners in need. She decided to build a bridge between the society, different parties to work with and in prisons. Mirjam her role is the chairperson of the foundation.
Paul is responsible for translating substantive policy into financial terms. Paul prepares decisions in the area of finances.
Martin is the memory of the organization.
Why the passion for the vulnerable?
Having witnessed many people losing their way and forgetting their faith, especially the vulnerable, our passion stems from the understanding of life’s challenges. Progress is not always straightforward, and serving others requires overcoming our inherent selfishness.
The importance of legal support
Almost half of the prisoners in Mexico are still awaiting trial. Some of them have been waiting 12 years for a trial! This slow process of the justice system is a large contributor to the severe overcrowding, poor conditions and high percentage of innocent people who are incarcerated in Mexico. Their spouses and children are left alone to fend for themselves, and the whole society suffers as a result of the lack of breadwinners.
Imagine being arrested and held in a prison in such inhuman conditions indefinitely, without ever committing a crime. Public defenders are overloaded with cases and unable to provide the quality of service required.
The Agape Foundation has access to private lawyers to help move innocent prisoners through the justice system and out of the prisons.
ADVANCING JUSTICE THAT RESTORES
God calls us to remember those in prison (Heb. 13:3 NIV) and “learn to do good; seek justice, correct oppression” (Isa. 1:17 ESV).
Mexico
Mexico is a North American country South of the United States. Surrounded by the Gulf of Mexico and the Pacific Ocean, Mexico comprises 32 states. The vast capital, Mexico City, is one of the largest cities on earth. With a population of 128,649,565, Mexico is predominantly Spanish-speaking, with approximately 10 percent of the population speaking around 67 indigenous languages.