A project update – greenhouse business plan - Netherlands Helsinki Committee

Can gardening projects contribute to the rehabilitation of prison inmates? Pioneering work has been done by many horticultural rehabilitation projects around the world. These have proven to be rewarding and useful learning experiences that pave the way to successful re-integration.

NHC is delighted to share news from the Vlora prison in Albania, where a greenhouse business project is successfully being implemented. Vlora is a standard security prison with a section for minors. Young people have become active participants in the scheme.

Photo: inmates harvesting and preparing a tasty meal with the vegetables from their garden

The project has been developed under the umbrella of the NHC project Improvement of Prison Conditions for Reintegration of Juvenile Detainees in Albania, Macedonia and Kosovo.

The planning started over a year ago. The aim back then was to determine the skills that would be particularly useful for re-integration of the young into society. Agricultural training ranked high on the list of priorities. These days, the inmates are reaping the benefits of it, both in a literal and metaphorical sense.

The business plan has two mutually reinforcing components: vegetable harvesting and gardening vocational course. Juvenile inmates learn to tend a vegetable plot and harvest the produce. They get a fair share of the profit: all vegetables harvested in the greenhouse are part of the inmates’ daily menu. Moreover, they are rewarded with certificates after completing a vocational course in gardening.

Currently NHC is working on the implementation of a similar project in Kosovo. Learn more about the Improvement of Prison Conditions for Reintegration of Juvenile Detainees in Albania, Macedonia and Kosovo project here.

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