As from 5 to 8 February 2024, the Harare office in cooperation with Zimbabwe Prisons and Correctional Services (ZPCS), conducted a four-day Peer-Reviewed/ Mentor-Led Training of Trainers on International Prison Standards. The training was a follow up to the ongoing Training of Trainers (ToT) activities, which has equipped ZPCS trainers with theoretical knowledge and practical skills in delivering a training on international prison standards. Amongst the group of 22 ZPCS trainers that have participated in the previous ToTs, a total of ten ZPCS trainers were selected to participate in the Peer-reviewed training activity.
The first two days consisted of a refresher course on how to conduct a training on international prison standards. The following two days were conducted at Khami Prison Complex in Bulawayo where the trainers were divided into two groups, each group with two mentors each from KPS/RWI. A total of fifty ZPCS officers stationed at four different prisons within Khami Prison Complex were selected to participate in the pilot training provided by the ZPCS trainers.
The training provided an opportunity for the ZPCS trained trainers to deliver the training to their fellow officers, in line with lesson plans developed under the RWI-ZPCS cooperation programme. The ZPCS trainers showed a good grasp of the training techniques and delivery skills in conducting an interactive and participatory training on international prison standards, following the lesson plan.
The training was co-facilitated and peer reviewed by representatives of RWI-Nairobi and expertise from Kenya Prison Service (KPS,) who functioned as co-trainers assessing the quality of the training and provided feedback, as relevant. Amongst the facilitators were Denyys Odhiambo, Human Rights Trainer at KPS, Dennis Mungo, independent consultant and former head of the central human rights office at KPS, and Damaris Seina, Programme Officer at RWI’s office in Nairobi and former staff member of KPS.
Having been equipped with knowledge and skills in delivering training on international prison standards, there is an expectation that these trained trainers with continued support from RWI and ZPCS will continue conduct trainings around the country, contributing to institutionalisation of the international prison standards within ZPCS.
The training formed part of RWI’s cooperation with ZPCS, under the RWI Zimbabwe Human Rights Capacity Development Programme, funded by Sweden.