Botswana: Stakeholder participation systematically manages ex-offenders’ rehabilitation programmes and promotes the community reintegration process, particularly acceptance and employability, which are critical in preventing re-offending.
As Botswana Prison Service continues with the mission to reposition itself through realigning and re-engineering all its programmes and processes, one of the trailblazer strategies is to draw support from the community, including the private sector. This is invaluable for the effectiveness of the treatment process and for strengthening the whole reintegration process.
Through this course, one of Botswana Prison Service’s valuable stakeholders, First National Bank Botswana (FNBB) through its Corporate Social Responsibility Foundation, came on board to ensure that prisoner rehabilitation is enhanced to add value to the lives of young offenders.
Speaking during the handing over ceremony of information technology equipment and learning material by FNBB Foundation to Moshupa Boys’ Prison yesterday, the Foundation Chairperson, Myra Sekgororoane, stressed their keenness in playing a part in the rehabilitation of young minds by contributing towards ensuring their mental and academic development.
She said the Foundation found it fit to invest in the initiative to make a difference in the lives of young offenders at Moshupa Boys’ Prison as advised by their strategic focal areas, particularly education and youth empowerment.
She also highlighted that the Foundation is also investing over P200,000 in an aquaponics system for Gaborone Women’s Prison as another initiative and commitment to re-tool those incarcerated for a better future.
On giving her acceptance speech, Commissioner of Prisons – Commissioner Dinah Marathe said the donation came at an opportune time when the Prison Service has amplified its transformational stride towards attaining correctional excellence.
She said that the Service introduced an ICT training programme in November 2021 for young offenders in Moshupa Boys Prison under the Skills Acquisition Programmes.
She thanked FNBB for the noble gesture, which will inspire the Service to propagate the ambition of intensifying ICT training and further revitalize the dream to extend the initiative to other classes of offenders. “๐ผ๐จ ๐ฝ๐ค๐ฉ๐จ๐ฌ๐๐ฃ๐ ๐๐ง๐๐จ๐ค๐ฃ ๐๐๐ง๐ซ๐๐๐ ๐ฌ๐ ๐๐๐ซ๐ ๐จ๐๐๐๐ฉ๐๐ ๐ค๐ช๐ง ๐ข๐๐ฃ๐๐จ๐๐ฉ ๐๐ฃ ๐ก๐๐ฃ๐ ๐ฌ๐๐ฉ๐ ๐๐๐จ ๐๐ญ๐๐๐ก๐ก๐๐ฃ๐๐ฎโ๐จ ๐๐๐ฃ๐๐จ๐๐ฉ ๐พ๐๐๐ฃ๐๐ ๐๐ฃ๐๐ฉ๐๐๐ฉ๐๐ซ๐ ๐๐ช๐๐๐๐ “๐ ๐ง๐ ๐๐๐๐ฃ๐๐๐๐๐ฃ๐”. ๐๐ ๐๐๐ซ๐ ๐๐ซ๐ค๐ก๐ซ๐๐ ๐ฉ๐ค ๐ช๐จ๐๐ฃ๐ ๐ฉ๐๐ ๐ก๐๐ฉ๐ฉ๐ก๐ ๐ฉ๐๐๐ฉ ๐ฌ๐ ๐๐๐ซ๐ ๐ฉ๐ค ๐ค๐ฅ๐ฉ๐๐ข๐๐ก๐ก๐ฎ ๐๐๐๐๐๐ซ๐ ๐ข๐ค๐ง๐. ๐๐ ๐๐๐๐ฃ๐๐๐ ๐๐๐ ๐๐ ๐๐ฃ๐ฎ๐ค ๐ก๐ ๐ข๐๐๐ค๐ฅ๐ค๐ก๐ค, ๐๐๐ฉ๐๐ค ๐๐๐ฉ๐จ๐๐ค!” she said.
The learning materials will assist young offenders to continue accessing quality educational resources during their time in prison, help them lead a better life upon release and improve their reintegration back into society.
She further indicated that since the introduction of the ICT programme, a total of 135 offenders have been trained, and the results are noticeable, as evidenced by the ability of offenders to perform basic computer operations.
The donation, which amounted to a total of P74, 689.50 comprised twenty-five desktop computers, classroom equipment, educational materials and recreational items, including Scrabble, mhele, chess, morabaraba and a refurbished library.