A commitment by Prime Minister Voreqe Bainimarama to the women of Navuniivi Village, in the Tikina Navitilevu, Province of Ra came to fruition on Friday (28/10/22) when items worth slightly more than $5,000 were delivered to the village.
Officiating at the handing-over ceremony, the Head of Finance and Administration in the Office of the Prime Minister, Moape Rokosuka said that the assistance by the Office of the Prime Minister is part of the Government's commitment to the development of women across the country.
“The assistance you see here today has been an ongoing programme with the Office of the Prime Minister over the years and many a women’s groups have been assisted through various means and this is our commitment towards the development of womenfolk in our rural communities,” said Mr Rokosuka.
“When assistance as such are rendered, many other things can be borne out of it and one is the hiring of the cooking items which can generate revenue for you and in turn finance other areas of development you have identified.”
Mr. Rokosuka also added that the equipment is handed over in good faith with the hope that it will be taken care of and used in the coming years.
Navuniivi Women’s Group President, Sereana Macedru, was emotional while receiving the items on behalf of the group’s 50 members.
“This is so overwhelming,” she said.
“We had raised it during the provincial meeting held at Nanukuloa a few days ago and today we were delivered items which were beyond our expectations.”
The soft-spoken president said that the days of looking around for pots, and items such as burners and electric urns are gone with the arrival of the donated items.
“Navuniivi is a big village and we have many functions here, so we often have to ask around for cooking items from households in the village in order to fulfil our obligations,” said Ms Macedru.
“Now we won’t have to look around and I extend my gratitude to the Prime Minister and his officials here today for hearing our plea. Additionally, I wish to express my gratitude to our village men who have always supported us women in our endeavours,” said Ms Macedru.
“We can assure Government that these items will be put to good use for the benefit of the Navuniivi women’s group.”
A team from the Ministry of Health based in Rakiraki was also at the village to carry out awareness on breast cancer and conduct medical checks for villagers.