WOMEN on the island of Taveuni believe that communities around the country can flourish economically if women are given a chance to participate in community development.
For this purpose, Navakawau villager, Lavenia Toga said women’s status needed to be elevated from their usual place in the kitchen and given a chance to be part of development meetings.
She hopes that the new government would do this for women.
Ms Toga said this did not mean that women should stop carrying out their usual chores of cooking and looking after their families, but they just needed to have their voice heard.
“Women can offer sound advice and suggestions for men and men need to see us as their friends for we have the same intention as them to have well supported families.”
Another villager, Vika Vinada, said developing a women and economically empowering them meant bettering the lives of her family, community and nation as a whole.
Ms Vinada said there were a lot of potential in women around the country, adding government should also play their role in providing them with development enablers.
