The main objective of this project is to enhance access to self-reliance opportunities and health rehabilitation for incarcerated women and girls in Nigeria. The project aims at consolidating on the gains of our previous project that empowered over sixty (60) female ex-inmates and incarcerated women and girls in Suleja Custodial Center in the production of sanitary pads. Our members in other Nigerian states (Lagos, Enugu, and the plateau) who were unable to access the workshop center in Abuja due to distance and a lack of resources will now have the opportunity to become self-sufficient by learning new skills such as sanitary pad production, bead making, shoe making, and bag making. The beauty of this clever approach is that the training will be provided free of charge by our members who have been trained to instruct others. Our members in other states can be included to maximize their potential in the spirit of “Leave No One Behind.”

Skilled and confident women and girls who are self-sufficient in managing their immediate needs are one of the project’s expected outcomes. By amplifying the voices of incarcerated women and girls, as well as female ex-inmates, the project will mobilize and unify their voices to promote the change they want to see. Furthermore, the project would boost female inmates’ access to sanitary pads and encourage healthy behavior.

The project’s long-term goal is to significantly contribute to achieving Sustainable Development Goals 1, 2, 3, 5, and 8. Specifically, the project aims to strengthen the rehabilitation and re-integration processes of incarcerated women and girls through enhancing access to skills acquisition opportunities and healthy prison experience. More women and girls in the custodial centre will have access to sanitary pads. This will reduce sexual and reproductive health problems caused by poor sanitary practices. Through the Voice Empowerment Grant, incarcerated women and girls who were once excluded, suffered stigmatization, and exploited while in custody have been given a voice to achieve self-reliance.

A BEACON OF HOPE 

Life is said to have its twists and turns which often unveils a silver lining behind the dark cloud. A picture of the dark cloud is a state of lack, hopelessness and inadequacy but today there is waking reality for incarcerated females within the custodial centres in Nigeria that there is light at the end of the tunnel. 

Female Inmates and Returned Citizens (FIRC) is an organization that seeks to create an inclusive and safe platform for all female inmate to be empowered, reformed and re-integrated thereby defiling the odds of discrimination and stigmatization. Integrating a gender sensitive approach to address the special needs of female inmate, one of the gaps identified was lack of access to sanitary pad within the correctional facilities as inmates depended largely on donations and limited resources available to them.   Enhancing Access to Self- Reliance and healthy Rehabilitation for Female inmate and Ex- inmates was a project initiated by FIRC and funded by Voice Nigeria. This project seeks to empower female and ex inmate towards self -reliance and healthy rehabilitation in Nigeria.  

The processes which lead to the implementation include advocacy visits, obtaining approvals, planning meeting with the officers of the correctional facilities and the execution of the project. The major gains of the project have been skill transfer and the emergence of expert trainers who are deployed to other correctional facilities to train female inmates. This reinforces the Igbo adage that says ‘uzo mma mma aga ya ugboro abuo” meaning good things are worth replicating.  

 Currently, the project has been done in Lagos, Enugu, Jos, Agbor and Umuahia. However, the challenge faced is the sustainability of the reusable pad production within the six different correctional facilities in terms of maintaining a steady supply of the materials to ensure continuous production and the possibility of scaling up to other custodial centres within Nigeria. 

Today, the returned citizens are the right holders of the organization serving as grant managers and implementing projects within the correctional facilities in Nigeria which is a milestone achievement which they are eternally grateful. 

We will like to make a passionate appeal to Donors, Civil Society Organizations and individuals to partner with us through volunteering, financial contributions and information sharing to broaden the scope of the skill transfer and create different sources of economic empowerment.