“A lot of changes need to be made when it comes to discriminatory social norms  and all the process and requirements in accessing services for marginalized women. Yet too often, women are denied the opportunity to earn a decent living especially when you are located in the remote areas.”
Alesi Tabua, President of Namulomulo Women’s Group, Tailevu, Fiji

 

1 September 2022

The Namulomulu Women’s Group of Tailevu which consists of 10 women have started with their screen printing activities this week.  The activity was put on hold due to the restrictions of covid-19 which left rural women finding it more difficult to generate income to support their families. They are learning and experimenting with techniques over time, and will keep some of the outcomes, and sell others.

DIVA for Equality continues to support and accompany local and Indigenous women, LBT and gender non-binary people from urban poor, rural and maritime areas of Fiji to generate regular and independent sources of income that can create a significant impact on women’s ability to make decisions and have control over their lives.

The women are also working with the village youth group as a key strategy for intergenerational learning opportunities where they share ideas by learning, unlearning and relearning.  The majority of the women and young people engaged are unemployed from market economies and are fully engaged in unpaid care, and domestic and communal work. Some are local farmers for their own and communal food and cultural goods, etc.

Our economies run on the backs of women and girls from all backgrounds, but only a few are ever recognised and rewarded and have state policies set for their needs. We aim to work as movements of grassroots led groups in Fiji to change these realities for all, including women in Namulomulo.

Unpaid care work must be recognised as WORK and women must be respected, including an end to all forms of violence and discrimination against women, girls and children. Men must also work with us to change the statistics, where in Fiji we have the fourth highest rates of violence against women in the world. Women everywhere! Our unpaid care, domestic and communal work must be recognised, reduced, redistributed, rewarded,  and our societies and governmental services reconfigured, to work for all in Fiji.

Women’s economic justice, working through the ‘DIVA Poverty to Power’ and ‘Just Fixes’ and ‘Women Defend Commons’ and ‘Fiji Women Builders’ and other programmes, means that women can benefit from economic activities on terms which recognise the value of their contribution, respect their dignity and make it possible for them to negotiate a fair income. They are respected for their unpaid care, domestic and communal work by DIVA as well as what they earn in terms of money, and we help each other in the networks to make a better local, national, regional and global case for work, rest, leisure and recognition of the roles of women, girls and gender non-binary people, as well as men, throughout all care, social, economic and ecological systems in Fiji.

#SDGs 1 to 17: All means all.

Poverty to Power Network, Women Defend Commons Network, DIVA for Equality, Fiji,

September, 2022