Government’s functional literacy program of teaching women life skills through reading of books will be expanded to include villages on Ovalau Island this week.
Books on life skills will be distributed to women of three villages, Natokalau, Lovoni and Rukuruku by officials from the Department of Library Services.
Through the program, women are given books detailing forms of art and craft, cooking techniques and even clothes making, that they can adopt for their economic empowerment.
Acting Director Library Services Merewalesi Vueti said the lifelong skills that women learn from books can provide them with a source of income.
“At the same time, levels of literacy are improved within the communities,” Ms Vueti said.
“They work on the skills using everyday resources like for instance when they learn about the art of making accessories, they can use coconut shells, or even in the case of making baskets and so forth.
“We are working with several women’s groups around the country and we have found it to be a success for women.”
Such learning is tied in with Pillar 8: “Reducing Poverty to a Negligible Level by 2015,” and Pillar 9: “Making Fiji a Knowledge-Based Society,” of the People’s Charter for Change, Peace and Progress.
The department is working with women’s groups in Labasa, Lautoka, with women residing in Senior Citizens homes and Nadala village in Nadarivatu.
“It’s a concept that we want to expand nationally because women are learning lifelong skills that will not benefit just them but their families as well.
“We have to assist people, to empower them through literary works so that they can function in a complex society.”
Once the program is introduced at the village level, department officials return to the community to monitor the progress of learning within a month.
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