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Boitumelo Makhurane, Chronicle Reporter
A local non-governmental organisation is on a drive to capacitate female prisoners and ex-prisoners by teaching them life skills so they do not return to crime.

Heart of a Woman Trust (HOW) is an initiative born out of the need to prioritise those in distress with a primary focus on prisoners in general across Zimbabwe.

The organisation’s main target is female prisoners and children living in prison with their incarcerated mothers and also the underprivileged girl child.

HOW is a sustainable solution seeking initiative on a participative basis. Prisoners have more issues and less assistance in terms of basic amenities and rehabilitation, which is the most fundamental issue.

Prisoners doing exercises

The organisation works closely with the Zimbabwe Prisons and Correctional Services (ZPCS).

It was born out of the realisation that life is hard after imprisonment as people tend to label and stigmatise ex-convicts.

Most organisations demand a clean criminal record before hiring workers, leaving some ex-convicts unemployed or resorting again to unlawful ways of earning a living.

Stigmatisation is another challenge that ex-convicts encounter. Society is generally unforgiving, ex-convicts walk around with tags on their foreheads written “ex-convict”, they are labelled for the crimes they paid for in a correctional facility and that in itself haunts them.

Upon release from prison, ex-convicts are confronted by innumerable challenges such as unemployment and lack of capital to start their own businesses utilising the skills obtained.

HOW’s director Ms Verna Zisengwe said the trust focuses on promoting life skills training for prisoners in order to sustain a living even after prison.

“HOW focuses on promoting life skills training for prisoners and plans to establish a Centre of Hope where ex-offenders can showcase their skills.

“This initiative will reduce recidivism. Our objective is to capacitate those in distress and also prioritise those behind bars,” she said.

Ms Zisengwe said the organisation was planning to hold workshops to raise awareness on the need to give ex-offenders “another chance” which will address the issue of reintegration to society.

She appealed to well-wishers to help with donations for the programme.

“We solicit for donations in the form of baby clothing, diapers, toys, blankets, sanitary pads and toiletries.

“We host a ZUMBA fitness fundraising event annually as part of actrivities to mobilise resources for inmates,” she said.

This year the organisation donated face masks, sanitisers, re-usable and disposable sanitary pads at Mlondolozi Female Prison Bulawayo, Kadoma and Shurugwi Prisons.-@Boity104