Bakery, catering business hope for Nawiwi, women thank Vuniwaqa
Members of the Nawiwi Women’s Club in Macuata province expect their bakery and catering business to soar.
This is after then Minister for Women, Children and Poverty Alleviation Mereseini Vuniwaqa handed over cooking and bakery equipment to the club of Nawiwi Settlement.
The club thanked Mrs Vuniwaqa for accepting their application requesting cooking and bakery utensils because they needed to increase their production and income to support their families. Minister Vuniwaqa said part of her visit to Vanua Levu last week was to assist women’s groups in their fundraising activities and she thanked the men for supporting their women in the settlement. She has also urged communities and churches to work together in eradicating violence against women and children. “Government could not do alone,” the minister said.
“We read it in the newspapers, see it on television and hear on the radio, the high number of children and women being abused, raped or sexually assaulted every day,” Mrs Vuniwaqa said.
“We need to fight against the social evils of abuse, sexual assault and rape of women and children. “The Government is doing a lot in preaching about it and putting in place programmes to alleviate this problem.
“We need the communities; we need the church to stand by the efforts of Government so that we spread this message across to every it family, every church and every religious denomination.
“We are all saying the same message to our children, brothers and sisters in the hope that one day we can get through to fight against this evil in our society.
“Women are important figures in the society. They are the pillars of the household.”
Nawiwi Women’s Club president Vilisi Raga thanked Mrs Vuniwaqa for the assistance for their bakery project.
“We have 28 members and actively committed towards the club development and utilising opportunities provided by the Department of Women, which we are registered with,” Ms Raga said. “Nawiwi Settlement has 48 households including and Indo Fijians, most are sugarcane farmers.
“We rely on subsistence farming, handicraft sales and assorted homemade breads to cater for our family needs and club activities. “The club was assisted with a bakery project worth $5000 by the office of the Provincial Administrator Macuata.”
The construction of the bakery shed was completed in June, 2018 and is yet to be officially opened.
Edited by Percy Kean