The one of Adigrat could rather be defined as a rehabilitation house instead of a prison. All the prisoners ( 1300 men and 50 women) have regular daily work within this structure that could somehow be considered a good example to consider despite the evident lack of funds by the local administration.
We saw a carpentry workshop, a small farm, a cement blocks production unit; prisoners manufacture various handicraft products such as carpets, dresses, towels, and clothes entitled to be sold outside the facility.
Butterfly Foundation, thanks to the financial support of Associazione Volontari l’Accoglienza, already implemented one water well at Adigrat jailhouse; at the time, the total water allowance was 1 litre per day per prisoner and a training hairdressing facility dedicated to detained women.
During our visit, early October 2012, we noticed that dormitories were not equipped with beds and mattresses; only plastic couches were available as a sleeping facility after eight hours of work. Thanks to the required funds, made once more available by Associazione Volontari l’Accoglienza, on January 31st 2013, we could acknowledge that all mattresses had been delivered to the prisoners.
The bunk beds located in the women dormitories were duly delivered in March 2013.
End of September 2012, due to extraordinary heavy rainfalls, one wing of the prison collapsed, causing 15 dead and 35 seriously injured prisoners. The prisoners used the facility for carpets and blankets production. We have been requested additional financial support to allow the reconstruction of the jailhouse’s collapsed wing.