Launching of first "OUT" knitting collection produced by interns of the COFO

As part of the social innovation initiative "Pan de Libertad, empresa social que transforma vidas" (Bread of freedom, social enterprise that transforms lives), led by CAF, Development Bank of Latin America and its strategic allies, the "OUT" first knitting collection will be presented. The collection is created by the participants of this project, which is implemented at the Centro de Orientación Femenina de Obrajes (COFO), under a business model co-created with the interns, aiming at their social and productive insertion as well as at improving their life conditions. 

The pieces to be presented are hand made by the participants of the new Asociación de Mujeres de Acción Productiva (Association of Women for Productive Action) of COFO, with alpaca based fabrics of export quality. The official presentation of the exhibition will be at CAF, with an exhibition that will show that "OUT", more than an article of clothing, is an opportunity to improve for the interns, as the resources generated by the sales will benefit the participants of the project, their families, and the general population of the prison through recreational programs and medical services for comprehensive health. 

For Ana Mercedes Botero, CAF's Director of Social Innovation, the area in charge of strengthening the capacities of vulnerable groups, this experience offers the opportunity to explore different and complementary tools that contribute to improve the difficult life conditions in the prisons of our countries. With respect to this, she pointed out, "Bread of Freedom is an innovative social enterprise model which is based on a balance between productivity and wellbeing in order to generate greater opportunities for a future labor insertion and social inclusion of the interns at the COFO". 

With respect to the institutional architecture, Botero explained that "one of the main challenges of the project was to build the ecosystem of actors from the different sectors and disciplines, that would help co-create a business model with the interns of the COFO, focused on the wellbeing and the promotion of productive processes in bread-making and knitting".  

Consolidating the first collection of "OUT", which will seek to position itself in the national and international markets, has been the result of a constant training process in hand-made knitting for more than 30 interns who decided to be part of the enterprise in the knitting division, as well as the design and development of prototypes, brand development (the name was suggested by the participants), and the development of a marketing network integrated by the interns' families. 

The project has strategic partners that have enabled the integration of an institutional ecosystem made up of the Asociación Semilla de Vida (SEVIDA), the Banco Mercantil Santa Cruz; the Embassy of Germany; the  Asociación Medio Ambiente y Desarrollo en Acción (ENDA), the Fundación Innovación en Empresariado Social (IES), and the Régimen Penitenciario de Bolivia. 

Currently, more than one hundred women participate in "Bread of Freedom, social enterprise that changes lives", a project that started to address the complex difficulties of the penitentiary centers in Latin America, such as finding effective solutions to address the problem of the high recidivism rates and the costs it represents to the system and to society.    

As part of the launching activities of the first collection of "OUT" knits, there will be an exhibition/showroom of the project at the facilities of Artespacio Gallery between April 1st and 15th.