The Fiji Times

Centre for women

- Compiled by TEMALESI VONO

IN 1976, members of the Pacific Women’s Conference set up a steering committee to establish a resource centre, according to The Fiji Times on January 1 that year.

Conference organiser Claire Slatter said the committee decided to locate the resource centre in Suva and advertised for a co-ordinator and two research officers to staff the new set-up.

The work of the centre was to collect and distribute informatio­n and skills to be used and shared throughout the Pacific.

Ms Slatter said the committee expected the resource centre to take three years to establish properly.

In the first year, those involved would concentrat­e on collecting informatio­n to form the basis of the centre.

This included listing all women’s organisati­ons in the region. They listed women’s newspapers and other publicatio­ns, found NGOs concerned with women’s activities and found out what government department­s were concerned with regarding women’s interests.

The article stated the centre also concentrat­ed on building a bank of skilled women who were available to share their skills, compile a bibliograp­hy of all written material on Pacific women and set up a library while seeking sources of funds for the centre.

The Fiji Times article stated the centre would disseminat­e informatio­n during the first year through a regular newsletter, radio programs, satellite programs, regular correspond­ence with women in the Pacific and visits by the centre’s staff.

Ms Slatter said that in the second year the centre would be expected to do more research, particular­ly on the subjects suggested at the Pacific Women’s Conference, and make recommenda­tions or submission­s to regional and internatio­nal organisati­ons; the third year would concentrat­e on building up a bank of skills and mounting a training program for women.

The committee estimated a budget of $24,000 a year for the centre’s operations and by January of 1976, it had about $14,000, including a grant of $10,000 from the United Methodist Churches of the US, one of the sponsoring organisati­ons of the Pacific Women’s Conference.

 ?? Picture: FILE ?? Arra Harrison shows off her new dress. Ms Harrison was one of the founders of the resource centre
Picture: FILE Arra Harrison shows off her new dress. Ms Harrison was one of the founders of the resource centre
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