LifeBread Confident Woman Program Graduation

LifeBread Connected Foundation held its third CONFIDENT Woman program graduation ceremony on the 5^th of December at its Almanah Hope Centre in Tuvu, Lautoka.

Graduating a total of 20 graduates for the 6-week program, the event was attended by friends and family members of graduates, organization partners, stakeholders, and representatives of the Women’s Fund Fiji (WFF).

The Confident Woman program is one of several free trainings provided by LifeBread and is the flagship program of the foundation through grant funding of the Women’s Fund Fiji, graduating 35 alumni earlier in the year.

The program covers a total of seven modules, with specific topics in Personal Development, Developing the Mind, Change Management, Gender Awareness & GBV, Strengthening Women’s Leadership, Family Values and Parenting and Personal Financial Literacy.

Whilst the program has been running for several years, it gained considerable recognition and popularity amongst communities in the Western Division due to the WFF funding that has enabled its continuance and its expansion to three full trainings before year end.

Facilitated by lead trainer, Mr. Albert Wise, with more than 25 years of teaching experience and Mrs. Dorinda Work, the current director of the foundation, along with other contracted stakeholders – the program has proven to be a source of empowerment for women that have undergone its sessions.

The graduation ceremony began with the reading of a Poem written by one of the graduates, Ms Dorrin, who was the only graduate of Indo-Fijian decent amongst the graduating participants, time was then given for the personal testimonies of three graduates who relayed the impact of the program on their lives – how it has changed the nature of their relationships with their husbands, their children, and their peers.

A key point highlighted by the graduates is that the program has enabled a sense of self-realization, empowerment, and determination to actively make changes in their lives.

Formalities officially began with speeches from Mrs. Dorinda Work, Mr. Albert Wise, and Mrs. Rejieli Taylor, WFF Executive Director, who was invited to speak at the event as the Chief Guest. Mrs. Taylor attended alongside WFF Program officers Ms Devina Devi and Ms Niumai Kavoa.

In her speech Mrs. Dorinda Work underlined how the program has helped women come to a better place than where they were last. Mr. Albert Wise re-emphasized the programs aim to empower women by enhancing their self-care, self-worth, and awareness of their rights, ultimately enabling them to lead dignified lives and how it has also contributed to strengthening their capacities.

He spoke on how participants have reflected on their journeys, initially arriving with a focus on business but gradually gaining insights into gender dynamics, self-identity, and purpose.

In a close to the event formalities, Mrs. Taylor in her speech congratulated the graduates for making it through the 6-week program, offering encouragement to the women to understand that survival is not a goal; but that transformative success is, and that the women have taken the initial steps to ensuring this through their attendance of the program.

She acknowledged all present on the day and thanked the LifeBread Foundation for its emphasis on lifelong learning and development which has created positive engagement within communities, enabling women to develop leadership skills and qualities that will positively impact their families, communities, and the nation.

The event ended with the awarding of certificates by Mrs. Taylor to the graduates and the gifting of key graduates for their efforts throughout the program. Special items, group photos and lunch proceeded after formalities, with graduates taking time to share stories and their awards with friends and family present.

Key points:

Participants:

Twenty diverse women from Tavua, Ba, and Lautoka districts graduated from the 6-week Confident Woman Training on December 5, 2023, at Almanah Hope Centre. The Lifebread team also awarded three participants for 100 percent attendance during the 6 weeks.

These 20 graduates join the other 35 alumni who graduated earlier this year.  Participants included attendees ranging from the age of 18 ( tertiary students ) to 61 years old and from various geographical locations in the western division – furthest student travelling daily from Rakiraki and Vatukoula.

Trainer: Albert Wise, an educator with more than 25 years of teaching experience, facilitated five modules of the Confident training, while the remaining two modules were led by Dorinda Work in partnership with other stakeholders.

Training Modules:

The training covered seven modules:

• Personal Development
• Developing The Mind
• Change Management
• Gender Awareness & GBV
• Strengthening Women’s Leadership
• Family Values and Parenting
• Personal Financial Literacy

Participant Testimonies:

The participants shared that the Confident Woman 6-week program has transformed their behaviours.

• Participant 1: She is spiritual and takes center stage in church every Sunday to sing praises to the Lord. Having completed seven modules of the training, she realized that she was living a fake life, a life of hatred. She has been divorced for 16 years. During this period, her children were unconsciously impacted by their mother’s hatred for their dad. The children continued to suffer in silence. She said that the Confident Woman training allowed her to reflect and start a journey of forgiveness. Post-training, she has taken the first step to invite her husband to meet the children. She acknowledges that this program has contributed to five aspects of her life: mental, emotional, physical, financial, and social. She also shared that to have a happy life, the five aspects of life need to be balanced. She had invited her son to the graduation to hear her testimony.
• Participant 2: She is a community leader, however, over the years, she has been struggling with anger management. She shared that this 6-week training has provided her with tools to control anger. She is appreciative of the program in instilling a seed of change and self-realization. She shared an example of anger management where she used prayer to control her anger during an interaction with the bus driver. She acknowledges that her new journey has started for her, and she hopes to share new knowledge and experience with others in the community she serves in Tavua.

Key Points from Lifebread Director’s Speech: Participants are empowered. Though they do not meet the requirements to enter directly into employment, they are in a better position to make informed decisions for themselves and their families. They are truly grateful for the financial support from the Fund.

Key points highlighted in the Trainers Speech: The primary focus is on fostering resilient and sustainable lives for women, offering hope for a better future. Training is instrumental in achieving life balance, covering five crucial aspects for health and well-being. Module 2 emphasizes building relationships by cultivating a healthy mind, addressing emotional control, anger management, handling addiction, change management, understanding one’s role in change, gender-based violence (GBV), distinguishing between sex and gender, recognizing various types of GBV, understanding the legal processes involved, developing leadership skills, and exploring different leadership styles.
The programs aim to empower women by enhancing their self-care, self-worth, and awareness of their rights, ultimately enabling them to lead dignified lives. These initiatives also contribute to strengthening women’s capacities. Participants reflect on their journeys, initially arriving with a focus on business but gradually gaining insights into gender dynamics, self-identity, and purpose.
The women in the program share common goals and dreams, with aspirations ranging from becoming teachers to pursuing various endeavours. They exhibit qualities such as being fun-loving, overachievers, motivators, and effective team players. The key message is to apply the acquired skills towards achieving personal and professional goals.

Fund Executive Director’s Speech: Congratulations to all 20 graduates for achieving a significant milestone by completing the 6-week training. You all have done a marvellous job. WFF and the donor acknowledge your hard work and resilience in completing the 6 -weeks Confident training. Acknowledge the board members, staff, and management of Lifebread, trainers, and graduates.
Change is not a threat; it is an opportunity. Survival is not a goal; transformative success is. Great admiration for the emphasis the foundation places on lifelong learning and development, positive engagement with the community, and developing leadership skills and qualities that will positively impact our commu