The wonderful part of these 23 stories and how they have put them together is that they are told in women’s voices, and there is very minimal editing in them.
DIVA for Equality Director, Noelene Nabulivou highlighted this today at the launch of their Poverty to Power Network Booklet.
Nabulivou says the importance of this is their people gave answers that people in general society would not even think to talk or think about.
She says one of the things they started with was to ask questions in a safe space, about what does it feel like for people who are struggling financially and economically and what do they think are causing them.
Nabulivou says for some of the women and gender diverse people it was about their everyday life and what they are experiencing whether it be selling food parcels, or the violence they have faced since a very young age and how that has impacted their life.
She says one of the things they try to say is what is the most practical everyday thing they want to do on poverty which is how DIVA came up with the free shop.
She says this means for those that have too much in their lives can donate to the shop and those who need things can come and take things with no payment.
Nabulivou says the most important stories are the 23 in the booklet because they are stories of life but they really are how women, gender diverse and non binary people are experiencing poverty in Fiji.
