Hope, purpose, belief: Learning skills changes lives in Yei prison [1]
By giving inmates and their guards in a correctional facility in Yei an opportunity to learn new & potentially income-generating skills, UNMISS is contributing to giving those staying and working there a sense of hope, purpose and belief.
CENTRAL EQUATORIA – Apart from the intentional deprivation of freedom, prisoners typically suffer from idleness, not to mention the boredom it frequently causes. For the four women behind bars - and their wardens - at the correctional facility in Yei, joint vocational trainings are replacing listlessness with know-how, bonding, hope and a sense of purpose.
“It’s like we have all woken up from our sleep, understanding that life is what you make of it,” says Rejoice Tule, one of the five wardens who, together with the women she is tasked to guard, has learnt everything from blending perfect juices to weaving bags and decorating slippers and table mats with beads.
Learning new skills is not only keeping worries and dark thoughts of inmates like Vumiliya Hayat at bay but also offers hope for and belief in a better life once their sentences have been served.
“When I get out and go home, maybe I can start a business selling juice and make more money that I used to,” says the mother of a five-year-old son. She dreams of giving him and her elderly mother a brighter future.
Staying busy also helps Mary Raida, who does not have parents waiting for her when she is released, handle her demons.
“Both of them are dead, and I was thinking too much about them, and loneliness, before. Now, staying active with trainings makes me feel better.”
The greatest benefit of the vocational trainings organized by the United Nations Mission in South Sudan (UNMISS) targeting both guardians and detainees is perhaps the effect of more socializing, and on an equal footing, between the two groups.
“The whole atmosphere has changed, and we are all enjoying it. Our main concern is the welfare of the inmates, and now they are engaged in building skills that can improve their prospects,” says Mary Sunday Raymond, a warden who admits that she is also welcoming the possibility to turn learning into a potential income to supplement her salary.
Serving with the UN peacekeeping mission, Corrections Officer Fatou Nije is pleased with the initiative.
“It has many advantages. Trainings don’t just bring hope; they also give people and maybe a way to make ends meet. It helps the rehabilitation process, and that can only be a good thing for everyone involved.”