How can repeat offending be prevented, and how can detainees be supported in their social and professional reintegration after release from prison?
To help address this question, MONUSCO, through its Prison Administration Support Section, organized three days of vocational training and information sessions from 18 to 20 February 2026 for women detainees at Bunia Central Prison, in Ituri.
According to judicial sources, a significant number of female detainees reoffend after serving their sentences, often due to the lack of concrete opportunities or income-generating activities after release.
As part of its mandate to improve detention conditions and help detainees prepare to return to society, MONUSCO established a partnership with the NGO SOFEPADI (Solidarité Féminine pour la Paix et le Développement Intégral / Women’s Solidarity for Peace and Integral Development). This partnership made it possible to adapt the community-based “Safe Space” programme—usually implemented in Ituri villages—to the prison setting.
The initiative has three main objectives:
- to strengthen women detainees’ access to information and legal assistance;
- to provide psychosocial support to improve well-being and mental health;
- to develop vocational skills that support social and economic reintegration.
For the implementation of the activity, SOFEPADI deployed a multidisciplinary team made up of three lawyers for legal consultations, two psychologists for psychosocial support, and four trainers specializing in basket weaving and pastry-making.
Over the three-day programme, dozens of women and girls in detention received psychological support aimed at helping them cope with trauma, including trauma that may lead to risky coping mechanisms such as drug use in prison. They also received legal assistance to help follow up on their cases and facilitate the processing of ongoing judicial procedures.
At the same time, participants were trained in several income-generating skills, including basket weaving and making doughnuts/fritters. For many of them, who never had the opportunity to attend school, this training represents a rare and practical opportunity to prepare for life after prison.
“When you have a skill, you can make baskets, sell them and support yourself. It is truly beneficial,” said one detainee at the end of the training.
MONUSCO and SOFEPADI now plan to strengthen their partnership throughthe establishment of an income-generating activity based on the production of baskets and woven goods within the prison; the identification of potential markets for selling the products; and the continuation of regular psychosocial support.
The prison director, Colonel Camille Nzonzi, welcomed the initiative:
“Many women are imprisoned for minor offences, often linked to a lack of means. Thanks to this training, they will be able to support themselves after release and contribute positively to society.”
This programme marks an important step toward improving the humanization of detention conditions at Bunia Central Prison, while also preparing women detainees for social reintegration with the aim of reducing the risk of reoffending.
Jean-Tobie Okala
