Harare — CONDITIONS at prisons across the country continue to improve following Government's efforts to make life better for inmates.

An appeal for assistance from the Zimbabwe Prison Services has seen a number of organisations assisting Government in providing food, clothes and sanitary wear.

Prisoners interviewed during a handover of food and clothes to inmates' children at the Chikurubi Female Prison on Thursday hailed Government for coming up with initiatives to ease the situation.

"The past years were difficult as we were exposed to diseases and hunger but the conditions are better as we are now getting three meals a day.

"We are now getting sanitarywear and this has helped us significantly as we were resorting to using torn blankets. The practice was actually exposing us to various diseases," one inmate said.

ZPS Commissioner Retired Major-General Paradzai Zimondi yesterday said: "We have received support from a number of organisations and Government has come up with a number of initiatives that have seen the situation improving."

Rtd Maj-Gen Zimondi said Government would soon unveil more initiatives to improve prison conditions.

Speaking after making Thursday's donation, the director and founder of Innocent Children's Trust, Dr Beauty Basile, said children in prisons were facing various problems including inadequate food and clothing as they wait for their mothers to finish their sentences. Dr Basile once spent a week in prison while facing corruption charges but the High Court acquitted her in August last year and she is presently a medical superintendent at Bindura Provincial Hospital.