Women in construction

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ADB Green Jobs for Women project graduates. Picture: SUPPLIED

THE women who completed the inaugural Asian Development Bank-funded Australia-Pacific Technical College Certificate II in Carpentry last week have been highly commended for their effort and dedication for their work.

The 20 women from diverse backgrounds, including wives and single mothers built 20 Category 5 home for Kalabu Village, Sakoca, Veikoba, Tamavua and Naivikinikini in Lami as part of the ADB’s “Green Jobs for Women” Program.

A statement from the Habitat for Humanity Fiji said the program was an 18 week training course which prepares women to work in construction fields.

It said the handover at Kalabu Village on Thursday also marked the presentation of “Build Back Safer” (BBS) certificates and a bag of tools each by Vinod Patel Foundation to the 19 of the 20 women upon completion of the inaugural ADB funded Australia-Pacific Technical College Certificate II in Carpentry that started early August this year.

Chief guest permanent secretary for Ministry of Women and Poverty Alleviation, Dr Josefa Koroivueta described the event as an opportunity Fiji and its women have never encountered before and a step forward.

“It brings joy to families in need of shelter, roof and security. At the same time, it serves as a tool for these graduating women to build their livelihoods, build their resiliency and be empowered. It’s good for the economy, and it’s good for families, it’s good for individuals and it can be a career, it can be a good income, a good wage, it just gets everything going,” Dr Josefa said.

According to the statement ADB’s Beatrice Olsson said these women were making huge strides in their individual lives while at the same time forging a path for other women who may be thinking about laying the foundation for a new career. APTC chief executive officer Soli Middleby said the initiative aligned with the organisation’s commitment to gender equality and equity.

“We want to do our part to ensure our work is driven through human rights lenses that demonstrate social inclusion. When this opportunity to partner with Habitat for Humanity emerged, we couldn’t help but be enthusiastic, and jumped in to support these amazing women in getting Australian qualifications in this non-traditional and yet universally vital field,” she said.

Habitat for Humanity Fiji director Masimeke Latianara said the initiative for Build Back Safer (BBS) was borne post Tropical Cyclone Winston when the construction industry experienced a shortage of skilled carpenters who had left to take up overseas job offers.

These 20 women will graduate from the course next year and some of them will start looking for jobs in the construction field rather than what they used to as office jobs.

From over a 100 applications that Habitat Fiji received, only these 20 women got accepted and made it.

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