2. Background
• Nafisika Trust works to reduce the rates of re-offence among prisoners in Kenya by running
programmes in prison focused on behavior change and economic empowerment of
prisoners.
• Our goal is to reduce the cycle of a life in crime by equipping inmates with the necessary
skills and knowledge they need to change their circumstances for a brighter, safer future.
• One of the ways we do this is through running an Entrepreneurship Programme which is
geared towards providing the necessary skills and opportunities that enable them start their
own businesses upon their release.
3. About the Programme
• Unemployment is the biggest problem that ex-inmates face upon their release. As a result,
some of them turn back to crime as a means of sustaining their lives.
• The Entrepreneurship Programme aims to equip the inmates with skills and knowledge that
prepare them for the job market; whether employment/ self-employment.
• This is the Fourth Entrepreneurship Programme and had a total of thirty five students. We
had sixteen professional volunteers to help with the training sessions.
• Classes were held three times a week, Monday, Tuesday and Friday with each session
running for two hours.
4. Results& Outcomes
• This is the largest cohort we have had. Meaning word is spreading on the importance of
being part of this Programme, both for trainers and students.
• Students, over time, gained confidence in expressing their ideas, during presentations and
answering questions.
• Great level of understanding in most of the topics covered e.g. Business Plan& CV writing,
Learning about interviews, Business Legal and Leadership classes. This was a great success
since it was the first time that most of the students covered these areas.
5. Programme Highlights
• The trainers used easy- to- learn methods while in training. Group work was incorporated as
compared to a normal class setting. This helped to identify those that needed help but could
not say it in class.
• During the leadership sessions, students opened up and talked about real life experiences
and challenges. There was great connection between them and the trainers; this is an
indication that the relationship was not just student-teacher. Both parties went a step further
to connect with one another.
6. Shortcomings of the Programme
• Unavailability of some students. This was due to ongoing court proceedings
and inmates assigned to work by the prison.
• Language barrier. The class had a mixture of local and foreign inmates so
trying to balance both English and Swahili became quite overwhelming
especially for the new trainers
7. Lessons Learnt
• One of the methods that really worked was the use of group work. This
gave way for active participation among the students and it made the lessons
easy to understand.
8. Impact/Success Stories
• Community involvement: The community and well-wishers want to get involved in
providing opportunities for the inmates after they are released.
• Three students from last year’s (2015) cohort are doing well. Martin Papa, Global Forensic
Security Service (self-employed). Patrick Muya and Festus Njuki are now employed at
Mambo Furnitures.
• Better and improved relations between inmates and officers. Less fights and
misunderstandings.
