They came as shy and insecure individuals, but went home empowered with livelihood skills.
They had a sense of self worth and confidence in their stride that marks four weeks of training, rewarding for the Samoa Victim Support Group and Canada Fund (New Zealand).
These were the visible signs of a successful livelihood programme for women survivors of violence and women at risk, all around Upolu and Savai’i. With three weeks in Upolu and the fourth and final week in Savai’i, the training team for the programme mobilised the livelihood programme in central villages gathering nearby women from around particular districts.
The final week in Savai’i saw the training team carry out trainings right through to the early evenings in some of the districts, as requests for additional sessions were received from the women survivors of violence themselves.
The practicality of the livelihood skills that were being taught such as commercial cooking with pork buns, German buns and donuts, elei printing for lavalava, sheets for guests and church tables and pulpit, flower arrangements and veggie gardening are all skills the women survivors of violence and women at risk could easily learn and put into use not only for their families, but most importantly, to earn income to sustain themselves further.
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As the training team headed towards the a certain district in Savai’i, they saw one of the participants who attended their training the previous day, selling chicken buns, donuts with jam as well as German buns in front of her house to students walking to school.
It was a blessing to see this woman survivor take the initiative and with so much excitement, she busied herself tending to the many young buyers that came to her stall.
All of the training sessions ended with a presentation on small business skills. Some of the women survivors of violence and women at risk who had already started small businesses of their own contributed through testimonies on how the programme has transformed them from individuals that once possessed low self esteem to individuals that became confident, standing up for themselves as well as their children.
Most of these women are now earning income from selling pork buns, donuts and german buns around the small shops as well as becoming street vendors within their villages. The popularity of the livelihood programme saw requests from villages both in Upolu and Savai’i for additional livelihoods trainings.
The difference that we are now witnessing in the confidence of these women survivors of violence and women at risk speaks volumes for the successful completion of the livelihood empowerment programme courtesy of Canada Fund (New Zealand).
SVSG President, Mrs. Lina Chang, acknowledges with gratitude and appreciation the continuous financial support from Canada Fund (New Zealand), that has enabled S.V.S.G to implement these support programmes for members of our community in need.
Photo / S.V.S.G.
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