Project Date: January 2018 – December 2018 Grant Value: Type A – FJ $150,000 Area of Focus: Economic empowerment project for women in Navakasiga Project Status: COMPLETED
About the Project Over the years, the impact of climate change and the more recent mineral extraction activities near Navakasiga district have continued to eat into their natural resources which the inhabitants of this area rely on for their livelihoods. Furthermore, due to geographical challenges, the government has found it especially challenging to direct livelihoods and other development initiatives to these areas and have welcomed partnerships with NGOs such ours to work with them in helping address these challenges. However, for groups such as the women in this community, there is a need to build the organisational skills that will allow them to work together and utilise their social capital and other resources to strengthen their livelihoods initiatives such as coordination to meet market and business requirements and strengthening their ability to physically reach markets.
The Economic Roadmap of the Pacific Women Shaping Pacific Development Program (PWSPD) also highlights that up-skilling of women entrepreneurs and supporting them to understand market demands was a critical gap in women’s economic empowerment. Additional factors that hamper women’s economic participation include the lack of business skills and market information that will assist them in appropriately pricing their products and services. An analysis by OXFAM Fiji also describes the need for development practitioners to understand women’s economic empowerment in the context of the society they live in – the multiple roles of women, along with social (cultural) and political factors that can either impede or support them. Any economic support initiatives must also ensure that it addresses the risk of violence that may occur due to the increase in women’s economic activity.
PCDF project aims to address the needs for sustainable livelihoods of women and their families in Navakasiga district. Women’s groups in the villages of Naivaka, Naiviqiri, Nasau, and Baravi (settlement) will receive capacity building that will allow them to participate in economic activities and secure sustainable livelihoods for themselves and their families.
Community leaders and men in these villages and settlements will be engaged in workshops and discussions for the purpose of transforming gender power relations and promoting positive gender masculinities that support the economic participation of women.
About PCDF Partners in Community Development Fiji was founded in 1978 and is one of Fiji’s longest established non-government organisations (NGOs) working on community development projects across rural, remote and maritime areas in Fiji. PCDF programmes focus on Community Capacity and Livelihood Enhancement; Natural Resources Management; Health Improvement and Institutional Development.
