Dear friends of the DiDé Foundation, here is your 6th DiDé Flash Info. Once again we thank you for your support without which the Foundation would not be able to continue its mission in the same way alongside the most vulnerable prisoners.

This month we will give you an update on current projects with particular attention to training. To this will be added information on the “Week of Justice” organized by the Ministry of Justice and a testimony.

Current projects

The DiDé Foundation remains involved in Rwanda in the framework of three projects: the project for women detained at Ngoma Prison and their children, the one in partnership with Rwanda Bridges to Justice (RBJ) and a new project funded by the United States Agency for International Development (USAID). Project to promote reconciliation between detainees and members of the communities of origin. Activities related to the first two projects are continuing according to established plans. In Ngoma, Nyarugenge, Bugesera, Rwamagana and Nyagatare prisons, DiDé staff continued to provide training for “peer educators” on facilitation techniques.

The psychosocial support system developed by DiDé psychologists, in collaboration with psychologists hired by prisons, is therefore increasingly solid. This is also demonstrated by the efficiency which characterizes the work of "peer educators" in the identification of prisoners requiring specific monitoring. In March 137 people were identified and referred to psychologists, all of whom now benefit from adapted and individualized psychosocial support.

Another important result is the completion of the construction of the psychological consultation rooms in the Ngoma, Bugesera and Rwamagana prisons. Prisoners now have suitable places for meetings with psychologists and legal advisers.

DiDé’s new project to promote reconciliation between detainees and members of the communities of origin was officially launched in March. It started with the organization of meetings allowing the presentation, discussion and planning of planned activities with all the local actors concerned, including representatives of the Rwanda Correctional Service (RCS), prison staff and regional authorities.

Training

As part of the project implemented in partnership with RBJ, DiDé contributed to the organization of three training days which took place at the beginning of March and were addressed to the various actors of criminal justice in Rwanda. The objective of the training was to raise awareness among institutional and civil society actors of the importance of the psychological well-being of people accused of breaking the law and those of prisoners.

Two different workshops were offered. The first follow-up by 30 people concerned the identification and assistance of detainees in distress. Representatives of institutions including state, such as the Ministry of Justice, the Rwanda Correctional Service and the Rwanda Investigation Bureau as well as professionals from civil society organizations participated in it. They were able to acquire the basic skills necessary to identify, in the context of their professional practice, individuals requiring mental health support. In addition, they were made aware of the approaches to adopt in order to be able to support these people adequately.

The second workshop was aimed at psychologists and other medico-social professionals who work in prisons, hospitals, the General Prosecutor’s Office or civil society organizations. Using a methodology promoting active participation and group work, the 39 participants were able to increase their understanding of the mental health of accused and detained persons, as well as to discover and learn assistance techniques for psychological support for these individuals.

These training days were an opportunity to reaffirm the importance of the mental health of people in conflict with the law and in detention as well as to raise awareness among the stakeholders concerned on this topic which is often overlooked.

DiDé and RBJ drew a positive assessment from these days which also made it possible to start positive discussions around the possibilities of collaboration between the various actors in the psychological accompaniment of people in conflict with the law.

Justice Week

Still with a view to raising awareness, the DiDé Foundation participated and presented its activities as part of “Justice Week”; demonstration organized from March 18 to 22 by the Rwandan Ministry of Justice.

The main objectives were as follows: firstly to inform the Rwandan public of the services made available by government institutions and by civil society and secondly to raise awareness among participants of emerging crimes, such as trafficking in human beings, corruption and / or cybercrime, with a view to prevention. Conferences, debates and workshops took place in the different regions of Rwanda, including in penitentiary and university establishments.

In this context, DiDé presented its projects and activities during the opening day. In addition, the Foundation participated in awareness-raising events organized in partnership with the Rwanda Correctional Service in Bugesera and in the Ngoma Prison.

Testimony

The relevance of DiDé’s activities in promoting the psychological well-being of prisoners and the effectiveness of the collaboration between "peer educators" and psychologists are confirmed by the progress that the prisoners followed make. The case of Paul (assumed name), sentenced to life, is a demonstration of this. Identified and referred to psychologists by a "peer educator" who worried that he spent all his days in bed, Paul presented with depressive and suicidal symptoms. The gravity of the situation was such that it required hospitalization. In addition to psychiatric therapy, the DiDé psychologist has started an individual support program aimed at understanding and developing the causes behind these symptoms. Currently, Paul continues his therapeutic journey and the progress is evident. He has started to take care of his appearance and he is now able to project himself into the future. Thanks to this mental health support, Paul learns to accept and manage his present and his suffering.