16 women from Doi Village in Ono-i-Lau are the first group of women from the island to graduate from a 3 week training where they learnt how to sew at the Makoi Women's Vocational Training Centre.
The training was facilitated by the Fiji Muslim League and funded by the Australian High Commission.
One of the graduates Nanise Vosa says she is blessed to be part of this program and to have a solid source of income for her and her family.
Vosa says they face a lot of challenges in looking for a stable source of income and with the new skill that she has today, she is confident that they will now be secure.
She says their source of income is mainly selling fish and magimagi but this is only sold outside of the island when the boat comes which is once a month.
Vosa says leaving her whole family back in Doi Village was the hardest thing to do but it was for a great course.
While officiating at the graduation ceremony Minister for Women, Children and Poverty Alleviation Rosy Akbar told the women that the certificate that they are getting is very important as it is evidence of the skill that they have.
Akbar stressed that these women should take it anywhere that they go and use it to make money for themselves and their families.
She says people in the islands do not have access to services but with the skill that they have graduated with, they have greater opportunities ahead of them.
