Women having the heart to learn about issues that affect their lives and the lives of their children gives hope to developing a better future.
Women play a critical role in any household and allowing them to attend counselling workshops open doors to limitless awareness on a day to day issues.
Women in the Central and the Western divisions have been attending counselling workshop with the assistance of organisations like the JP Bayly Trust’s Welfare Office in Suva and Lautoka, Empower Pacific and the Fiji Police Force.
Bayly Welfare and education manager Western Sarojani Michael said the counselling workshop held at the Lovu Hart Community Hall in Lautoka was a success as three registered Bayly Welfare cases had attended the workshop.
“Many of them did know what it was about and it was an honour to have a counsellor from Empower Pacific and three police personnel who spoke on different topics,” she said.
“Empower Pacific spoke on child protection as well as teenage pregnancies. Participants learned about the importance of children attending school and on how to hear a child out when he or she wants to share an issue with a parent.
“Many children stop telling or sharing their problems with parents as they feel that their parents have no time for them or to listen.”
Single mum with three children Marama Nawaqabuli of Lovu Hart in Lautoka said it was good attending a counselling workshop.
“Being a single mum, I have learnt a lot dealing with children and understand them especially who they are as a person,” she said.
Matelita Bui of Lovu Hart said she learned a lot of things that she wasn’t aware like dealing with domestic violence, child abuse, children’s rights and whom and where to go to for assistance.
“I have learned a lot and I’m grateful for the opportunity,” she said.
Bayly Welfare central manager, Manorma Chandra said the workshop held in Suva had a good number of recipients.
The topics that were covered in Suva were on the abuse and neglect of children, kinds of abuse, effects of abuse on any child, what a parent should do to protect their child, gender-based violence, physical and mental health issues, being judgmental of others and reaching out to other families and neighbours.
Twenty-three women and three men were part of the workshop in Suva.
