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UNODC Joins hands with Stakeholders to Enhance Vocational Training and Entrepreneurship

Nairobi (Kenya), 10 November, 2021 - UNODC joined the Chandaria Foundation during the Groundbreaking Ceremony for their sponsorship project on clothing, textile and baking in Langata Women’s Prison.

Through the support to the institution’s Entrepreneurship and Vocational Training programme, inmates will acquire skills to earn honest livelihoods. Moreover, this initiative aims to provide the women taking part in the trainings, with a source of income that will help them cater for their expenses outside of the facility, as many of them are the only caretakers and income generators in their families, and often have school and maintenance fees to attend to.

Since 2017, UNODC has been supporting women and prison administration at Langata Women’s Prison in different capacities through implementation of various rehabilitation programmes, donating equipment and improving infrastructure.

More specifically, UNODC facilitated the construction of the segregation block for Violent Extremist Offenders (VEOs) and supported the training of staff on VEOs. Additionally, UNODC donated an industrial oven and mixer to scale up the existing baking vocational training programme. UNODC also donated a data entry and processing system as well as a screen to facilitate the adoption of virtual courts.  Also, prison officers continue to be trained on capacity building in risk assessment. 

UNODC assists Member States in breaking the cycle of re-offending by providing prison administrations with technical guidance on how to initiate and/or enhance rehabilitation programmes, in close coordination with other (non-)governmental stakeholders, including civil society and the private sector. 

This partnership highlights the importance of strategically and systematically involving the Private Sector Engagement (PSE) in non-traditional areas as a key element to meet the SDGs. Through this collaboration, Chandaria Foundation works to support UNODC’s mandate to promote and protect the integration of human rights in Member States’ response to drugs, crime and terrorism and the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development, more specifically SDG 16 “Peace, Justice and strong institutions”, as well as the integration of the Nelson Mandela Rules. This initiative also supports Kenya Prisons Service (KPS) mission of ensuring the safe custody of all persons who are lawfully committed to prison facilities, as well as facilitating the rehabilitation of custodial sentenced offenders for community reintegration. 

UNODC and Chandaria Foundation, though its continuous collaboration identified the need to mainstream efforts with other partners in this project. As a result, 10 stakeholders came together to support this initiative: Clean Start Foundation, Valentine’s Cakes, Rina’s Cake House, PadMad Kenya, KEPSA WOMEN, SAFAL Building System, Mabati Rolling Mills Ltd. and SAFAL Group.

The event was attended by Mr. Vincent Rapando from Chandaria Foundation, Ms. Wambui Kahara, Regional Youth Focal Point and Coordinator of the Urban Safety Governance Approach, UNODC, Commisioner General of Prisons, Wycliffe O. Ogallo, CBS, Director of Prison Enterprise, Wairimu Thang’ate HSC (SACGP) and representatives from all partners involved in the project. Staff members and 50 inmates from Langata Women’s Prison were also in attendance.