A Memorandum of Agreement signed between the Ministry of Social Welfare Women and Poverty Alleviation and the Department of Prisons and Correctional Services (DPCS) in 2009 has seen the successful rehabilitation of ex-offenders.
The MOU which support’s government’s initiative in the rehabilitation of offenders was only implemented last year through the ‘In-Care and After Care’ program. The program included commercialised farming, small business training, and funding for income generating projects for the purposes of developing skills through practice in commercial projects and training for inmates and ex-prisoners.
One of those beneficiaries of the program includes Pauliasi Vatunilaba who after his release early this year now earns his livelihood through selling fruits and vegetables in Raiwai, Suva.
According to Vatunilaba, when in prison he had decided to earn a decent and honest living for his family and decided to pursue the option of becoming a market vendor.
Early this year, he started selling fruits and vegetables in front of Chinese owned shop called, “Fen Store” whose owner Mr Yee Fen was more than happy to have assisted Vatunilaba by giving him this space front to sell his produce.
“When I began this business, I just started with a $50.00 to start as a market vendor Vatunilaba said.
But, through the assistance from the Correctional Services, Vatunilaba was assisted the with erection of a market shelter.
“I sell vegetables, cabbages, cassava almost everything in the market I have it here. And make about $100 to $200 from this business. I buy the vegetables from the farmers and sell it here at a reasonable price. Through this business I am able to support my family,” he said.
Last year, a total of 72 ex-offenders like Vatunilaba had been assisted into income generating projects by the Department of Prisons and Correctional Services that has a budgetary allocation of $100,000 to carry out the rehabilitation programs throughout Fiji.
In 2010 the Correctional Services assisted 369 inmates and ex-prisoners and all the projects are monitored by the Poverty Alleviation Program (PAP) Assessment Committee from the Ministry of Social Welfare.
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