The Minister for Women, Children and Poverty Alleviation, Rosy Akbar, applauded the perseverance, hard work and achievements of the 50 women who were part of the 24th batch of students graduating from the Makoi Women’s Vocational Training Centre in Makoi this week.
The Makoi Women’s Vocational Training Centre is a project by the Fiji Muslim League and has seen over 1000 women graduate since 2015.
The Centre offers skill-based developmental opportunities to the underprivileged women of our society which includes widows, single mothers and women with little or no education regardless of their race, religion and ethnicity.
Minister Akbar commended the management and staff of the training centre for their ability to recognise and leverage a woman's crucial role as the "Trainer" and a "Catalyst" of a family by offering a plethora of skill-based vocational training geared at enlightening, educating and equipping the women.
This has enabled marginalised and destitute women to have access to income-generating activities by offering them training in areas such as cooking and pastry, tailoring and embroidery, hydroponics and caregiving.
"The highest number of graduates from Makoi has been deserted mothers followed by widows and divorcees. Some of the graduating women have had no formal education at all or have had only primary school education. Isn’t it a moment of tremendous pride for the institution for providing this platform? I know I’m very proud that my Ministry supports an institution of such calibre – one that looks way beyond formal education to help women be economically more empowered and active,” stated the Minister.
Minister Akbar stressed to the graduates, "Don’t ever allow anyone to tell you that you are too old to learn or too old to earn! I never get tired of saying that when women earn, it benefits the whole family as they evidently reinvest most of their earnings in their families."
She commended the institution for ensuring communication is effective by having the trainers converse with these ladies in vernacular language (Urdu, Hindi or iTaukei) to impart the skill-based education.
Thanking them for their provision of vocational training for marginalised women to “Learn A Skill & Change Your Life”, allowing them to rise out of poverty and provide basic needs for their families and to become contributing members of their society and, thus, to the nation as a whole.
Minister Akbar congratulated the 50 women on the successful completion of their respective programs and encouraged them to continue on the path of determination and hard work.
She also advised them to work with integrity and to always be open to learning.