New opportunities created by the Fijian Government will empower people with disabilities to venture into employment and independent livelihoods.
Government has created two new training opportunities to empower disabled person’s to venture into employment and independent livelihoods as part of its vision of equality and inclusivity for person’s with disabilities.
This vision on equality and inclusiveness has seen 11 students from special schools around Fiji awarded the Special Schools Scholarship (SSS) through a partnership between the Fiji National Council for Disabled Persons (FNCDP), the Public Service Commission and the Ministry of Social Welfare.
FNCDP executive director Dr Sitiveni Yanuyanutawa said the 11 students are living with hearing impairments and are undergoing training in professional carpentry and joinery facilitated by Fiji National University and (TPAF) Training and Productivity Authority of Fiji.
“The trainees have been selected from the Suva Special School, Gospel School of the Deaf and Hilton Special School and most of them are identified by Fiji Association of the Deaf. Upon completion of the three to six month training, all trainees will be channeled into formal sector employment and some of them will be assisted in setting up their own businesses,” Dr Yanuyanutawa said.
Dr Yanuyanutawa has also confirmed that five disabled women would be undergoing a three month training in garment construction at the Inclusive Sewing Centre in Suva.
“Since it’s opening in March last year, the Sewing Centre has already provided a series of four trainings and the women have graduated with Certificate of Attainment in Garment Construction. The next training will be held from October to December this year and a total of 25 women, 10 social welfare recipients, 10 from women’s groups and five women with disabilities have been identified for the three month training,” he said.
Dr Yanuyanutawa said the objective of these trainings were to empower women to change from a hand out mentality to a becoming self-reliant.
“Since the commencement of this project in 2012, we have already trained 50 women, including women with disabilities, who have been absorbed into garment factories while some of them have preferred to start their own income generating projects,” Dr Yanuyanutawa added.
In July this year, a Memorandum of Agreement (MOA) was signed between the FNCDP and Ministry of Social Welfare to strengthen the partnership with a funding of $21,000 from the Ministry to support the training at Fiji’s Sewing Centre.
-ENDS-