Female inmates get a head start via planning scheme

WITH LESS than a year to go before her release, 31-year-old drug convict La-or at Kae Noi Temporary Prison in Phetchabun province wanted to open a car-care centre upon re-entering society, but she decided to lower her sights to initially opening a grocery store after learning about the high cost of running such an operation. 

The lessons she has attended on spending planning – along with financial literacy and basic entrepreneurship skills – as part of a special training programme while in prison have been a great help to her in preparing to rejoin society and the workforce, said the Uttaradit native. 

La-or said she had already drawn up a plan to manage her spending in advance.

The Citi Foundation, Citi (Thailand) and the Kenan Institute Asia a number of years ago jointly launched the “Financial Literacy for At-Risk Women” project to equip incarcerated women who are nearing their release with much-needed skills and perception. 

Now in its seventh year, the project has trained more than 2,500 at-risk women, almost 1,000 of them prison inmates and another 540 slum residents and nightlife workers. A further 1,000 women have been helped in government vocational-training programmes.

The scheme boasts a high level of success, as almost all of the women who participated in the programme have continued with their monthly savings and budgeting plans.

Another convicted offender, Oh, 27, said she had saved Bt30,000 in the past three years, either sent by relatives or as income earned through prison work. 

The Phichit native said that attending the training had made her feel like she was not really in prison. She plans to open a massage house after her release.

Meanwhile, 29-year-old Tew – also convicted for drug offences – said that attending the training had given her a good opportunity to get to know and be in touch with people from outside the prison environment. 

It has helped her get used to strangers and readjust for living in society after her release, an experience which she said all fellow convicts needed to learn for a successful life when they leave prison.

In general, former convicts who serve their time and try to return to society and the workforce face many challenges, which in turn result in many of them ending up unemployed or relapsing into criminal behaviour – or engaging in other social ills.

The “Financial Literacy for At-Risk Women” project has now grown to include the Phetchabun facility, to which it brought this training opportunity to improve the lives of 80 incarcerated women like La-or, Oh and Tew. 

Most female inmates at the institution are in their 20s or 30s, and were educated up to Mathayom 3 level.

Hassaya Hasitabhan, senior vice president, corporate affairs, and head of corporate citizenship at Citibank NA, said: “The programme offers financial training to women who are considered at-risk, including those who have inconsistent incomes and unstable occupations. The training provides critical financial knowledge and skills that can be put into use by the women in their daily lives.

“In addition to financial-literacy training, we focus on basic entrepreneurship skills-building. Although some companies have made organisational changes designed to welcome recently released inmates, there are still too many women facing a lack of opportunity to earn a living upon release from prison.

“Providing training in financial literacy and basic entrepreneurship skills will allow these women to better pursue job opportunities or operate their own small businesses, giving them and their families a source of income. The Citi ‘Financial Literacy for At-Risk Women’ project therefore helps to reduce unemployment, recidivism and other social problems.”

She added: “At Kae Noi Temporary Prison, almost all of the trainees are in the Kamlangjai [support and encouragement] Project, under the Royal Initiative of Her Royal Highness Princess Bajarakitiyabha. They are first-class inmates who will be released within three years, and they have a distinct need for financial and entrepreneurial skills.”

 

Three-day training

Wichai Limpitikranon, technical manager, business and economic development at the Kenan Institute Asia, said: “This is a three-day training, the first day of which will start with setting life goals and exploring how to reduce unnecessary expenses in order to achieve such goals. Day two will focus on saving techniques, budgeting techniques, and basic marketing strategies. Day three will focus on pricing, break-even points, and business plans.

“The trainers use interactive teaching methodologies that focus on game play and group activities. Citi volunteers also join the training to share their knowledge and experiences, which is very appealing to the interests of the incarcerated women.”

Khae Noi Temporary Prison director Dacha Janjam said: “We are delighted and grateful to Citi, the Citi Foundation and the Kenan Institute Asia for providing financial-literacy training to the detainees. This aligns with our goal of providing opportunities to inmates and developing positive new habits for the women in our detention centre.

“After studying the ‘Financial Literacy for At-Risk Women’ programme, we believe it provides positive encouragement to the detainees, giving them a chance to learn, understand and manage their daily lives after they are released. We fully support the project and its goal of building the detainees’ capacity and developing their future.”