The Centre for Free Market Enterprise (CFME), an organisation of young entrepreneurs, says it is confident that prisoners in the country will be able to venture into businesses once they get out of the correctional facilities.
The organisation which is based in Zomba has been imparting business skills to prisoners who are in Mikuyu and Bvumbwe prisons.
In an interview with Malawi24 on Wednesday, CMFE director of planning Pilirani Banda said the project is now bearing fruits as to per its objectives.
According to Banda, the organisation came up with the project to impart skills to young inmates to start their own businesses considering that a lot of young prisoners get involved in theft once they get of jail.
“We long to see such young people start businesses after release so that they can start businesses to help themselves and their families as well,” Banda explained.
“We should never take prisoners as very condemned people of the society rather we should embrace them as our own, they got convicted yes but most of them come out changed people, with this project some of them are living as positive role models in their communities,” he added.
Banda further said the training is helping government to save resources since the youth do not go back to prison but they are assiduous with their businesses and contribute to the development of the nation at large.
The project which started in early 2015 targets prisoners who are remaining with six months before release from Mikuyu and Bvumbwe prison centres. So far 120 prisoners have graduated and they are making progress with their lives.
According to CFME, the prisoners are trained on how they can conceive a business idea, market products and finance their businesses. There is also training on book keeping, customer relationship, and pricing.
Kkkkkkkkk
Dyera basi..ikani chithunzi cha akaidi apa..osati majekete anuo za ziii