Preparing inmates for reintegration in Cambodian prisons

In Cambodia, more than half of all inmates have not completed primary education. Their reintegration after release remains a major challenge. To address this issue, Sipar developed training pathways that were tested in seven detention centres. In total, more than 700 inmates, including 112 women, benefited from these training programmes. The modules are supported by an internal mentoring system involving volunteer inmates and prison officers. The project’s first lessons show that this peer-support approach has been just as important as the digital tools themselves in driving change and engagement.

Among the participants is Radyna, 35, who has been detained at the Women’s Correctional Centre CC2 since 2017. Formerly the manager of a real estate agency, she is now responsible for the facility’s library. Since the launch of the BEEP basic education programme in December 2024, she has also taken on the role of mentor for the young women enrolled in the programme.

“My role is not to teach, but to support, encourage, guide and explain,” she says. The participants quickly came to see her as a trusted point of reference. For this mother of two children, now teenagers, whom she has only been able to see once since her incarceration, this role carries a deeply personal meaning: “Helping these young women with their studies partly makes up for the fact that I cannot support my own children in their education.” She regularly reminds participants that the value of their learning journey does not lie only in obtaining a certificate, but also in all the knowledge and skills they acquire along the way. An avid reader, Radyna now hopes to further develop her own skills, particularly in the new secondary education programmes that incorporate digital competencies. Her ambition is to support inmates who wish to continue their studies beyond level 9 of the BEEP programme.

“As long as I am able to, I will continue to be a mentor for future cohorts.” For her, this is a way to share her experience, encourage others, and help open up new opportunities for those who, like her, are preparing for a new beginning.

The programme also involves volunteer prison officers, helping to transform practices within correctional facilities. “Supporting inmates as they prepare for their future has become a mission that is particularly meaningful to me,” explains Sor Chanserei, who has worked at Correctional Centre 2 since 2018.

Initially a literacy trainer at the Multimedia Centre, she completed an online training course through the programme to discover the role of an education counsellor. “This training was extremely enriching. I met participants from a wide range of backgrounds: students, staff from vocational training centres, and NGO representatives.” Following this training, Sor now conducts part-time individual interviews with inmates approaching release. “My role is to listen to them, help them identify their skills, their plans, and the opportunities that could support their successful reintegration. Every situation is different, and I try to suggest the most appropriate solutions for each person.” A promising approach combining individual support and institutional ownership to build sustainable reintegration pathways

The individual learner tracking system, developed with the support of CDRI, enabled the project team to evaluate progress across educational, socioeconomic and psychosocial dimensions.. In the prisons involved in this pilot phase, initial monitoring and evaluation data indicate improvements in basic skills, as well as stronger engagement in training pathways, with 68% of inmates completing reintegration preparation modules.

The data also show improvements in participants’ sense of energy (+6 points) and mood (+12 points) between the beginning and the end of the programme, according to the WHO-5 Well-Being Index. Institutional involvement proved essential to ensuring the project’s continuity. By engaging ministries and prison authorities from the outset, the project was able to become embedded within existing structures.

With this in mind, the team aims to gradually integrate programme funding into the budget of the General Department of Prisons, in order to consolidate the results achieved and ensure long-term institutional ownership.