Elevating the economic status of marginalised women through equipping them with income generating skills is one of the key programs administered by the Ministry of Social Welfare, Women and Poverty Alleviation.
In order to deliver this programme, the ministry has partnered with business organisations for the success of the programme.
This include Courts Fiji Limited, South Pacific Business Development (SPBD) and Home Finance Company to open up microfinance and small business opportunities in Fiji.
Last week, the Ministry teamed up with Courts to facilitate a two-day hands-on training in creative tailoring women living in Housing Assistance and Relief Trust (HART).
This is designed for 30 women from Wainibuku, Nakasi and Narere Hart Homes in Suva.
The training started on Tuesday and was held at Wainibuku Hart Hall in Nausori.
First time
Meredani Matiavi, president of Wainibuku HART home women’s club said, this was the first time for them to be provided with any training opportunity.
“We consider this as a blessing for us women, as those living in Hart Homes are single mothers, widows and some of them have children attending schools,” Ms Matiavi said.
“Most of us make things like jams, pickles, honey and even do tailoring to earn income. The Hart Home managers help us to take our products and sell it around towns.”
“We are grateful to the Ministry of Women and Courts, some of us never knew how to sew but now we have the skills to sew clothes like shirts, pants, women’s dresses and even school uniforms.
“Now we can make school uniforms for our children without having to travel to Nausori town.
Financing
“Some of us are also assisted through the social welfare monthly allowances, the income earned through tailoring will further help us to support the educational needs of our children,” she said.
The Minister for Social Welfare, Women and Poverty Alleviation Dr Jiko Luveni said that the long-term vision of her Ministry is to ensure that these women are able to venture into small businesses.
She said these women will also be provided with trainings in financial literacy to build their confidence and knowledge, further helping them to walk out of poverty.
Partnership
The Courts director Marketing Anil Senewiratne reiterated that similar trainings will also be done to many more women’s groups around Fiji.
“The partnership began in April last year, when Courts and Ministry of Women came together with a common vision of economically empowering women as a means of alleviating poverty,” Mr Senewiratne said.
“Since then we have engaged local and overseas trainers to train members of these women’s groups in basic sewing.
“This is helping to up skill them to acquire creative tailoring skills and also sewing machine maintenance skills.
“So far we have conducted a total of 33 workshops, thereby reaching out to 942 women in Fiji.”
– Ministry of Social Welfare, Women and Poverty Alleviatio
Minister for Social Welfare, Women and Poverty Alleviation, Dr Jiko Luveni (second from left) next to Courst Fiji Limited director Marketing, Anil Senewiratne (second right), handing over the sewing machines to the women of Kalabu recently. Photo: Ministry for Social Welfare, Women and Poverty Alleviation