Flowers grown by convicts will be sold on Georgian Independence Day
Tweet 
Share
Flowers grown in the 16th prison of Rustavi in eastern Georgia by convicts will be sold during a flower festival on the Independence Day of Georgia on May 26.
Convicts in the fifth, 16th and 15th prisons of Georgia have undergone special theoretical and practical courses on how to grow and care for flowers and berry-field plants thanks to an EU-funded project carried out by the Georgian NGO Civil Development Agency (CiDA) with the help of the Georgian Farmers’ Association and the DVV international.
The greenhouse in Rustavi prison. Photo: EU in Georgia press office.
Greenhouses were arranged on the territories of the prisons within the project to allow the convicts use the knowledge they received.
Prisoners attending educational programs while incarcerated are less likely to return to prison,” the EU in Georgia says.
The project aims to help imnates start new lives. Photo: EU in Georgia press office.
The EU representation to Georgia reports that Paata from Rustavi prison got involved in the project to gain more knowledge in agriculture and the flowers grown by him will be sold at the Flower Festival during the May 26 celebrations.
The project aims to help the resocialisation process of former convicts through providing vocational education trainings while in prison, which will decrease chances for repeated crimes.
The Georgian Justice Ministry, with the partnership of the charity Apkhazeti, has allocated funds for 142 former prisoners between 2013 and 2019 to help them start businesses.
The Georgian Goju-ryu [the main traditional Okinawan style] karate and the basketball federations have gotten involved in a project of the Georgian Justice Ministry which aims to help juvenile convicts in three prisons of Georgia gain new skills.
Former prisoners and minor convicts will undergo a de-tattooing programme per an agreement between Georgia’s Justice Ministry and Charity Center Abkhazeti.
The Georgian Justice Minister Thea Tsulukiani has evaluated the outcomes of a rehabilitation program initiated by her five years ago, titled Rehabilitation and Resocialization Program for Former Prisoners.
Georgian cities across the country will be marking Independence Day this coming Sunday with a range of events and activities from historical exhibitions, educational games, craft displays and music shows.
Traffic movement in Tbilisi will be restricted due to preparations being made for Georgian Independence Day on May 26.
Inmates in Gldani #8 prison, in the outskirts of Tbilisi, have harvested beans, greens, cucumbers, tomatoes and raspberries to sell them and receive income.