Celebrating creativity, resilience, and new beginnings.
The Re-Integration Support and Empowerment (RISE) Project Fashion Show is an initiative powered by the Ministry of the People, Social Development and Family Services’ Gender and Child Affairs Division, and the Trinidad and Tobago Prison Service.
The programme started in April 2025, exploring the theme “Who Am I?” At their graduation on Wednesday, the female inmates had the opportunity to display the fruits of their labour in a fashion show.
Superintendent of Prisons – Women’s Prison, Michelle Tobias, said she saw the growth in the participants throughout the programme.
“After many weeks of dedication by our external stakeholders and officers of the Women’s Prison, it can be seen where the dedication, encouragement by the inmates took centre stage. I believe the mandate was achieved since one can visibly see during the programme, creativity, self-expression, dedication, and enthusiasm was exhibited by the women.”
Minister of the People, Social Development and Family Services, Vandana Mohit, was in high praise of the programme, noting that this gives them the chance to be seen, heard and believed in.
“This project has created an opportunity for incarcerated women and girls to reflect, to heal, and most importantly, to grow. Many of these women have faced extraordinary challenges, some circumstances beyond their control. This programme gave them a chance to overcome those challenges.”
Highlighting that the training received is not just skills but tools for self-discovery and self-empowerment, Minister Mohit assured that the programme will continue.
“We are committed to investing in social programmes that reach all segments of our population, including those behind prison walls. Too often, incarceration leads to invisibility. But we must remember that the women and girls in our prison system are not outside the scope of social development. They are part of our national community, and they deserve attention, they deserve our support, and they deserve our investment.”
The women also engaged in art therapy, health and wellness, trauma therapy, life skills training, and career development awareness.