Women’s Fund Fiji which is the Pacific’s first national women’s fund providing grants and capacity development support to diverse women, girls and gender non-conforming groups, networks and organisations to further their work in gender justice and human rights, is now officially registered as a local entity under Fiji’s Charitable Trust Act.
Fund Manager Michelle Reddy says when the Fiji Women’s Fund was set up in 2015 as an initiative of the Australian Government, the design was always meant to transition over a five-year period to becoming a locally-led and managed entity.
With the registration, the Fund has also adopted a new Governance Structure that includes a Board of Trustees, a Governance Board and a Grants Committee.
The new Governance Board is representative of feminists and activists, private sector leaders and movers and shakers in Fiji’s development scene.
The Fund now has three Trustees. They are Gina Houng Lee as the Chairperson, William Parkinson and Ana Laqeretabua.
Houng Lee says investing in women not only made ‘cents’ but also made ‘sense’.
She says the return on investment is high and its benefits go beyond the money.
Houng Lee says the establishment of an adaptive feminist fund working on influence, working on mobilisation both financial and non-financial for feminist and women’s groups in Fiji is groundbreaking.
She says garnering resources for women’s groups in Fiji will go a long way to supporting women’s human rights and empowering women.
Australia’s High Commissioner to Fiji, John Feakes says the Australian Government is proud to have supported the establishment of the first national women’s fund in Fiji and the Pacific.
Feakes congratulates the Fund on its new chapter as a locally-led entity to support women’s organisations in Fiji.
He also welcomes the new members of the Board of Trustees and Governance Board who will guide Women’s Fund Fiji as it promotes gender equality and empowers women and girls in Fiji.
Feakes says Australia supports the Fund’s efforts to ensure women and girls are not left behind and have full access to opportunities to improve their lives. The Governance Board of the Fund is made up of 9 members. They are Georgina Naigulevu as Chairperson, Patricia Naisara as Co-Chair, Mareta Salacakau-Fong as Treasurer, Anna Cowley as the Grants Committee representative, and the board members are Cathy Wong, Victoria Yee, Farrah Shazleen, Angeline Chand and Mereoni Chung.
The Grants Committee is made up of five members. They are Anna Cowley, Shradha Sharma, Alisi Rabukawaqa, Susan Naidu and Menka Goundan.
