It is indeed pleasing to see that corporate entities have placed key focus on empowering women as entrepreneurs in support of the Fijian Government’s commitment to strengthening the economic participation of all Fijians and in particular for women, as one of its major priorities.
These were the words of the Minister for Women, Children and Poverty Alleviation, Rosy Akbar while officiating at the signing of a Memorandum of Understanding between Courts Fiji Limited and South Pacific Business Development (SPBD) in Suva yesterday.
Minister Akbar stated that the partnership between Courts and SPBD has worked very well over the past eight years and as a result, a renewal of the MOU that formalises the partnership between SPBD and Courts was done. "It is indeed an important milestone in the list of achievements for SPBD and Courts, in particular for their work which greatly benefits women small-micro enterprise owners.
In 2012 there was a partnership between the Ministry of Women and Courts to promote poverty eradication through women’s empowerment , whereby ten women groups were formed and each group could purchase ten sewing machines from Courts while recieving one free sewing machine for the community. There were free sewing demonstration, repair and maintenance workshops organised and conducted by Courts. They also engaged local and overseas trainers to train 1069 women, in basic sewing skills, machine maintenance and financial literacy.
Minister Akbar emphasised that it is very important to conduct financial literacy trainings when promoting small-micro entrepreneurship. "It's not just about talking about things, we must ensure that the people are provided with the right tools and training to ensure they are prepared for what is next. And in Fiji, when we reach out to rural rural communities, we see that women need financial literacy in managing their businesses".
While speaking at the event, Minister Akbar also emphasised the need for initiatives that can economically empower women in the care economy. "Women shoulder a disproportionate share of unpaid care work around the world, and gender imbalances in the distribution of care work constitute a root cause of women’s economic and social disempowerment. Our women play important roles in the rural economy and they work as farmers and labourers. Due to gender-based discrimination and social norms, most of women’s work remains unseen, unrecognised and undervalued and we as a growing economy cannot afford this. In fact we need women’s equal economic participation now more than ever before because we have to bounce back as an economy and as a nation," she explained.
On behalf of the Fijian Government, Minister Akbar thanked SPBD and Courts Fiji Limited for their continued undertaking of programs that will economically empower Fijian women. She also acknowledged the women who have made use of such opportunities to generate income for themselves and their families.
Chief Marketing Officer Courts Fiji Limited, Mr. Anil Senewiratne thanked SPBD for this partnership and for promoting women economic empowerment and establishing SMEs at the grassroot level. "It all revolves around how resilient we are to business, and how quickly we can adapt to the changes that is there in the marketplace. Our partnership helps women to develop a skill set with the financial literacy programs to assist sustainable business practices."
Director of SPBD, Ms. Lorraine Seeto said the SPBD members have grown over the years and the network has extended to their daughters, sisters, sisters in law and friends. "An interesting feature now is the inclusion of husbands in the member’s business - not as the money person but as the employee. The children assist their mothers with loading products and services for sale on Facebook. What a sight to have the whole Family involved in the business."
She further said that it is even more rewarding to note that some of their members now qualify for loans with Fiji Development Bank. "This progression will obviously lead to better things in life for all Fijians and what an achievement as it is all led by women."