Our aim is to mould women into leadership roles and encourage them into the Fijian political life that lead to the upcoming local municipal elections.
Assistant Minister for Women, Children and Social Protection, Sashi Kiran highlighted this at a workshop in Nasinu attended by 26 women that will provide them access and a better understanding of taking up a more active role in Fiji’s public life.
The Assistant Minister also encouraged the participants to venture into leadership roles with the ultimate goal of becoming actively involved in politics.
Kiran says this program will establish a community of women leaders who want to take on leadership positions in their communities and through elected office and the program will offer training on leadership skills for interested women candidates.
The workshop was initiated by the International Republican Institute in partnership with the Minister of Women, Children, and Social Protection and was held at the Nasinu Town Hall yesterday.
Program officer Raajan Jattan says the leadership program is part of the series of workshops which the Institute will conduct with women from all 13 municipalities around the country.
Jattan says they have done their first workshop and aim to engage with more women while visiting the rest of the 11 municipalities in Fiji.
He says this is an opportunity for all women to build themselves and empower others to engage them in such programs.
He adds that all they need is just a little bit of insight among themselves, a bit of motivation and the mechanisms of how they can work towards contesting into these elections or taking leadership roles.
The workshops will continue next Tuesday at the Lautoka City Council Chambers, next Wednesday it will be held at the Ba Town Council Chambers, Tavua Hotel on next Thursday, Rakiraki Hotel on next Friday and the last workshop will be held in Lami which is yet to be confirmed.
The workshop team will also conduct other workshops in the Northern Division soon.
