What is the Amachi Big Brothers Big Sisters program?
Amachi Big Brothers Big Sisters matches children of incarcerated parents with adults who are members of church congregations, usually in the child’s neighborhood. It is a new initiative that Big Brothers Big Sisters started in Philadelphia in 2000. There are 2.5 million children in this country who have an incarcerated parent and research shows that a large percentage of them will end up in prison unless some type of intervention occurs. The Amachi Big Brothers Big Sisters program is now underway in 25 communities around the country. In Philadelphia, 700 children have already been matched through this program.
