"What we provide are carts for MSME actors, and those were entirely made by correctional inmates from several areas," Coordinator of Public Relations and Protocol at the Law and Human Rights Ministry, Rika Aprianti, stated upon being contacted here on Friday.
Aprianti remarked that the allocation of carts was conducted during a series of events to commemorate the 58th Correctional Service Day. The Law and Human Rights Ministry has been collaborating with several corporations, one of which was involved in the banking sector, to aid MSME actors impacted by the COVID-19 pandemic.
Some corporations funded the production of carts made by the inmates. Once the products were ready, they were distributed to the community or MSME actors.
She stated that the initiative was still ongoing. On April 26, they would record the number of carts that were created and distributed to MSMEs.
The Directorate General of Corrections was currently promoting the 'one day one prison's product' program. She explained that the one day one prison's product program was implemented by all technical units on a national scope. The program aimed to promote inmates' products to the public in order to garner their interest into purchasing them.
The products also vary, ranging from batik, household furniture, food, drinks, and footwear to other handicrafts.
Through the program, the ministry is keen to inform the public that the inmates had shown productivity as was apparent from the products they made.
Hence, she compelled the public to participate in buying various products made by the inmates.
The ministry expects that the inmates can gain special skills from the program as well, so once they were released to once again become part of the community, they would have the expertise that they could use to open up business opportunities.
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Translator: M Zulfikar, Mecca Yumna
Editor: Suharto
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