Nadelei Women’s Group in Tavua have been assisted with a beekeeping project that is producing sweet results for this rural community.
With a funding of $5000 from the Ministry of Social Welfare, Women and Poverty Alleviation, the Nadelei Women’s Group started the beekeeping project in August last year and success of this project was revealed during the minister Dr Jiko Luveni’s visit to Nadelei village this week.
Dr Luveni said empowering rural women into income generating and sustainable livelihood is one of the major components of the Government’s Women’s Plan of Action (2010 to 2019).
Nadelei soqosoqo vakamarama president Camasi Matakua said the project is now generating income for their women’s group.
“We are grateful to the Ministry for helping us with this project. We started with five beehives of which we have already harvested two and we earned over $200. This money which has been deposited into the group’s savings account and we are determined to expand our honey project and we will buy five more bee hives so altogether we will have 10 beehives this year,” Ms Matakua said.
“There is good demand for honey here in Tavua and we are able to sell it at price ranging from $8 to $15.”
Ms Matakua said next week, the group will harvest three bee hives and is expecting to sell the honey at Tavua market and earn around $300.
“This is the first ever women’s project in our village and it symbolizes that women regardless of their qualification have the ability to operate a business, earn income and look after her family. The project has developed confidence and friendship among the women to work together in building better lives for their families,” Ms Matakua said
Dr Luveni also launched the zero tolerance violence free community campaign and handed two sewing machines to the Nadelei Women’s Group to further complement their income generating through sewing program.
Dr Luveni said poverty is an underlying factor in gender-based violence and the socioeconomic empowerment of women is one of the key pillars of women development through the zero tolerance campaign.
Meanwhile, Nadelei village turaga-ni-koro Ilai Manoa thanked Government for providing income generating opportunities for women which he said will contribute towards improving the livelihood of families in the village.
“The beekeeping project is not only benefiting the women, it also benefits their families as the income earned by women will be further invested into the education,” Mr Manoa said.
“Through the zero tolerance campaign, everyone has learnt to work together and there is strengthened bonding among the people to live in peace and harmony with each other,” he added.
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