Pilot Level Intervention
”One penny may seem to you a very insignificant thing, but it is the small seed from which fortunes spring.”
A quote by Orison Swett Marden puts across the importance of financial literacy for every individual. Whilst talking about the prison population, financial independence & economic stability is a big challenge for post-release prisoners, as finding employment opportunities is a tough option for them. Moreover, the prisoners do not even have enough education to invest the money which they earn while working in jail. Therefore, even after their release, their major concern is earning ones’ livelihood, make savings and achieve financial stability.
Keeping this view in mind, Antarkranti organized pilot level intervention on Financial Literacy and Entrepreneurial Skills in Women Jail, Tihar collaboration with Spirit Welfare Organization. Ms. Shweta Camma, Expert and Specialized in giving training on Financial Literacy & Entrepreneurial Skills from Spirit conducted the four-day workshop from 13 to 16 January 2020 at central jail no. 6. The 4 day workshop was attended by 27 women inmates.
The workshop focused on educating prisoners about making small and sustained savings to make their future financially secure. The workshop provided them with the knowledge of different ways and schemes which would help them protect their resources. The information around banking, accounts, fixed deposits, recurrent deposits, PPF, Sukanaya Samridh Yojna, etc. was imparted. They became aware about various government schemes wherein they could invest their not so significant earnings to earn a significant result and secure their children’s education, health & other needs in the future.
Other than financial literacy, the trainer also talked about the entrepreneurship skills one can have. The interests and talents of the women inmates was explored through interactive sessions, to build in a sense of confidence that even they are capable of doing something for their living with right support and guidance. The workshop turned out to be a huge success and also gave in inputs as to how it could be taken forward with the prison population. Workshop around financial literacy will not just serve as an information enhancing workshop but a key to reduce the rate of recidivism for which has poverty, ignorance and unemployment are some of the important factors.
Concluding the four-day workshop, Antarkranti believes that financial literacy would surely serve as an important tool for prison inmates to safeguard their future by saving, investing and insuring the money they earn during incarceration in their post-release life.
