ENSURING that villagers prioritise saving money, the district meeting of Wainunu agreed that every village choose a collector for the Co-operative Micro Finance department in Labasa.
Tui Wainunu Ratu Orisi Baleitavea told the meeting that villagers needed to concentrate more on savings rather than taking out loans.
He told district meeting members to inform villagers of the importance of having a savings account to cater for financial needs when unforeseen circumstances arise.
He said it was important to save for "rainy days".
Ratu Orisi said because traditional functions, including funerals, were bound to happen in villages, the obligation of contributing laid with villagers.
"So we should start saving now and most importantly save money for our families.
"We have other traditional duties to attend to so having some form of savings will greatly help."
"That is why we have invited the co-operative department in Labasa to come and talk to us about their strategies and saving schemes," Ratu Orisi said.
Officials from the co-operative department in Labasa were at the meeting to introduce the savings and loans scheme to the villagers.
Senior officer Ramesh Chand told the villagers they could even save 50cents a day with the scheme.
He asked the village headmen to identify and choose a collector who would collect the savings from villagers and deposit them in the respective accounts kept with the co-operatives.