Close to 50 women have undergone a three-week sewing and printing training workshop in a bid to boost home incomes for families over the long-term period.

The training was provided to 48 women of Alataua I Sisifo District and came courtesy of the Civil Society Support Programme [C.S.S.P.] under the Samoa Women Shaping Development Programme with funding support provided by the Australian government.

According to a statement released by the project’s proponents, the focus of the initiative is to empower women in the Alataua I Sisifo District by strengthening their capacities in sewing and elei printing as a means of improving their livelihoods. 

In addition, the project advocates gender equity in terms of encouraging women’s involvement in the economic sustainability of the district.

The participants are all homemakers and unemployed with their primary role being in charge of their households. The training provided an opportunity for the women to also establish economic independence, through their contribution to financially supporting their families, whilst tending to their domestic duties.

The training of the 48 participants has been delayed since March this year in order to comply with the measles and COVID-19 restrictions. 

The training facilitators were two experienced sewers from the district who have extensive knowledge and 10 years of sewing experience. Through the program, the participants were able to share ideas and work collaboratively, in order to create new patterns to boost their sales which provide financial support for their families and community.

Aliimalemanu Alofa Tuuau, the Member of Parliament for Alataua I Sisifo and coordinator of the District’s project, acknowledged the assistance from the Australia government and the C.S.S.P. which opened new opportunities for many of the unemployed women and youth in the Alataua district to help earn extra income for their families.

"The training has strengthened the unity of women in our district; it has brought them together through sharing ideas, feasting together and enjoying each other’s company and encouraging one another,”  Aliimalemanu said.

“The participants have testified about the impact of the training and even though many have attended similar training in the past but they have found this project more effective since it’s carried out by women of the district which made it easier for them to communicate and seek help when needed.

"The Women’s Committee of each village will host an exhibition to showcase their handicrafts and elei printings to strengthen their engagement and involvement in the village development to increase the sustainability of the project. We have decided that the main event for the whole district will take place at the end of every year to display our achievements throughout the year."

The $30,000 tala grant was made available under the Samoa Women Shaping Development Programme to financially support the sewing and elei project for the district. 

The fund supports small-scale initiatives that highlight gender equality, and women empowerment, to eliminate all forms of discrimination against women, with special recognition of the role of women in society, in terms of leadership, and their full participation in sustainable development.

The C.S.S.P. said it and its partners wish to congratulate the Alataua I Sisifo district for a milestone achieved in the completion of their sewing and elei project in June this year. The Alataua I Sisifo district comprises three villages Neiafu, Falelima and Tufutafoe who benefitted from the grant.