Consultant - Financial Literacy Training for Uganda Prisons Service Staff and Inmates

Background of the assignment The United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime (UNODC) is the Office of the UN Secretariat mandated to assist Member States in countering and preventing illicit drugs, crime, corruption, and terrorism. As part of its efforts to support Criminal Justice reform in Uganda, UNODC is collaborating with criminal justice actors including the Uganda Prisons Service (UPS) to implement a Five-Year Programme on Strengthening Crime Prevention and Criminal Justice in Uganda. The Programme seeks to implement comprehensive and gender-responsive criminal justice and prison reforms with the aim to reduce the overuse of imprisonment and prison overcrowding, enhance prison-based rehabilitation programmes, prevent radicalization to violence in prisons, and promote social reintegration of prisoners. A key component of successful reintegration is financial empowerment. Currently, there are limited structured financial literacy programmes as part of ongoing vocational training programmes targeting both prison staff and prisoners. Tailored financial literacy programmes are essential to equip prison staff with financial management skills and to prepare inmates for successful reintegration into society. There is need to fill this gap by developing financial literacy modules adapted to the prison context and conducting targeted training.

In response to the above challenges, Uganda Prisons Service, with support from UNODC, is initiating a strategic intervention to develop tailored financial literacy training curricula for both prison staff and inmates. This initiative is informed by persistent gaps in financial management skills among staff, as well as limited entrepreneurial capacity and livelihood opportunities for inmates upon release. These factors contribute to staff financial distress and offender recidivism, undermining the overall goals of rehabilitation and social reintegration. The proposed intervention seeks to equip prisoners and prison staff with practical tools for personal financial planning, savings, debt management, and investment, designed to prepare them for lawful, productive livelihoods after release. The curriculum will be modular, context-specific, and inclusive, taking into account varied literacy levels and the operational realities of the prison environment. This assignment is therefore critical to supporting the Uganda Prisons Service in its efforts to transform correctional practice from mere custodial care to a more dynamic model that promotes sustainable rehabilitation, institutional efficiency, and social cohesion.

Purpose of the assignment:

The purpose of the assignment is to develop context-specific financial literacy training modules and deliver financial literacy trainings to Uganda Prisons Service staff and prisoners. The assignment will contribute to enhancing the rehabilitation and reintegration framework by equipping staff with improved financial management skills and empowering inmates with financial knowledge and skills critical for sustainable livelihoods upon release.

Specific outputs to be performed by the consultant:

• Conduct a rapid assessment to determine financial literacy gaps among UPS staff and inmates (field-based and desk research)
• Develop tailored financial literacy modules suitable for prison staff and inmates, including budgeting, saving, debt management, and entrepreneurship.
• Ensure modules are gender-sensitive, accessible to low-literacy populations, and aligned with national standards and best practices.
• Pre-test and validate the developed modules with selected prison staff and inmate groups.
• Conduct financial literacy TOT in at least two prison facilities for inmates and one central TOT for UPS staff.
• Develop training manuals, facilitator guides, and participant workbooks for sustainability and future use by UPS trainers.
• Prepare and submit a final report with lessons learned challenges, risks, and recommendations for scale-up.