The first of more empowerment workshops organised by Government planned for this year is underway at Lami aimed at enabling nearby communities to ‘Stand up and Walk’ and ‘Stand up and Talk’ out of poverty.
The five-day workshop is possible through a partnership with the Prime Minister’s Office Poverty Eradication Unit and the People’s Community Network (PCN).
About 35 participants from Valenicina, Kalekana, Wailekutu, Vunimoli, Bilo Veisari, Veisari and Wainivokai are learning to ‘Stand up and Walk’ – to take the first step and actually do something about their situation.
A participant, Luisa Raluve, 24, of Wailekutu Settlement said the workshop has empowered her to do something about her unemployment status such as to register at the National Employment Centre.
Ms Raluve who is also the Treasurer for their youth group – Bay View Uduya Youth Group said the workshop was the second she had attended which was also organised by PCN. She added that there were nine members of her Youth Group who were also attending the empowerment workshop and they would share the information they had learnt with other members.
Another participant Jale Lili, 40, of Kalekana Settlement said the workshop was very good in that it had opened up his mind to social issues that he did not think much about on such as teenage pregnancies, unemployment, glue sniffing and young families who were unemployed. He said he also learnt not to become ‘powerless’ and ‘voiceless’ and to always question ‘why’ things happened in order to get to the root causes of problems.
He said he would also share the information he had learnt with other youths in the Settlement.
The workshop is an initiatve by the Prime Minister’s Office to empower communities to come out of poverty, which is aligned to Pillar 8 of the People’s Charter for Change, Peace and Progress of Reducing Poverty to a Neglible Level by 2015.
The workshop is held at the Seventh Day Adventist Church Head Quarters meeting room in Lami and ends on Friday.
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