1. FIJIAN PM CONGRATULATES VANUATU COUNTERPART – Prime Minister, Rear Admiral Voreqe Bainimarama has sent a congratulatory note to his newly elected counterpart in Vanuatu, Joe Natuman.
2. NEW POLICE COMMISSIONER ENCOURAGES MEMBERS OF THE FORCE TO WORK TOGETHER – The new Fiji Police Force Commissioner, Bernadus Groenewald has encouraged members of the Force to work as a team in order to become the best in the world.
3. LIBRARY BOOKS FOR KALABU SCHOOL – Minister for Labour, Industrial Relations and Employment, Jone Usamate handed new library books to the management of the Kalabu Primary and Secondary school yesterday.
4. DENGUE ON DECLINE BUT FIJIANS TO STAY VIGILANT – The Ministry of Health has registered a decline in the number of dengue cases since the week ending March 31 from 1576 to the current 389 suspected cases in the first week of May.
5. CENTRE OPENS OPPORTUNITIES FOR ECONOMIC BOOST IN NADELEI – A new facility designed to boost economic opportunities for rural women has been opened in Nadelei village, Tavua district in the province of Ba.
6. MINISTRY ENGAGES EVENT ORGANISER FOR WOMEN’S EXPO – The Ministry of Women, Social Welfare and Poverty Alleviation has engaged a consultant to assist in the organisation of the inaugural National Women’s Expo – Rural Designer Awards 2014.
1. FIJIAN PM CONGRATULATES VANUATU COUNTERPART
Prime Minister, Rear Admiral Voreqe Bainimarama has sent a congratulatory note to his newly elected counterpart in Vanuatu, Joe Natuman.
“It is with great delight that I was advised last night of your election as Prime Minister of Vanuatu, with the confidence of the Vanuatu Parliament,” PM Bainimarama said.
“On behalf of my Government and the People of Fiji, I wish to congratulate you, as you assume stewardship of your country.”
The head of Government also thanked the Government of Vanuatu for its continued support towards Fiji through the past few years.
“As I share this congratulatory message with you and your Government, I also thank you for the continued support for Fiji from your Government through the past few years for our own return to Parliamentary Government,” PM Bainimarama said.
“Your leadership role now comes at a critical time for Fiji as we head towards democratic elections in September and I look forward to working with you as with our other MSG brother leaders in furthering our respective national and regional interests.”
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2. NEW POLICE COMMISSIONER ENCOURAGES MEMBERS OF THE FORCE TO WORK TOGETHER
The new Fiji Police Force Commissioner, Bernadus Groenewald has encouraged members of the Force to work as a team in order to become the best in the world.
He expressed these sentiments during the official welcoming ceremony at Nasova today.
“To my deputy commissioners, members of the police, we will need to work as a team and to be one of the best in the world,”.
“It is indeed a great honor for me and my wife and it makes me humble to receive this traditional welcoming today,” Commissioner Groenewald said.
Commissioner Groenewald was accorded a traditional welcoming ceremony and was briefed by senior officers of the functions and programs currently undertaken by the force.
Earlier in the week, Commissioner Groenewald began a series of meetings with Government ministers and other officials to familiarize himself with his duties.
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3. LIBRARY BOOKS FOR KALABU SCHOOL
Minister for Labour, Industrial Relations and Employment, Jone Usamate handed new library books to the management of the Kalabu Primary and Secondary school yesterday.
Mr Usamate said the main aim of the Bainimarama Government is to make Fiji a knowledge-based society as committed under Pillar 9 of the People’s Charter.
“Books contain essential information that helps both students and teachers do research for their assignments and projects whilst creating a desire to explore interesting facts,” he said.
“At the same time books help people to build their intellectual intelligence and personality.
“As teachers and parents, we must encourage our children to read and make it a habit as reading contributes to fitness in the mind.”
Mr Usamate encouraged students and teachers to read more books because reading improves speaking and writing skills as these are two essential ways in communicating with people either at home, school, work or community at large.
School principal Junior Hereniko in accepting the donation thanked the Minister for his kind contribution and support towards promoting quality learning for the two schools.
“We are thankful to the Minister for Labour for this great assistance and the compassionate spirit towards the future leaders of Fiji,” Mr Hereniko said.
Meanwhile, Mr Usamate also witnessed a contribution of library books donated by Hands & Feet Australia to the management of both schools and conveyed gratitude on behalf of the Fijian Government for their generosity.
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4. DENGUE ON DECLINE BUT FIJIANS TO STAY VIGILANT
The Ministry of Health has registered a decline in the number of dengue cases since the week ending March 31 from 1576 to the current 389 suspected cases in the first week of May.
However, it maintains Fijians must remain vigilant.
National advisor Communicable Diseases, Dr Mike Kama said that a similar pattern was seen in the Solomon Islands just before another outbreak of dengue took place.
“Our advice is to remain vigilant by destroying all mosquito breeding areas and keep a clean compound,” Dr Kama said
In the last week of March, there were 1576 suspected cases, majority of which was in the Central Division, but there was a slight decline in the first week in April with 1500 cases registered.
There was steep decrease in the second week when the figure went down to 900 and then there was a plateau at 400 for the other two weeks.
For the first week in May, the numbers registered with health facilities was 389 with most of these recorded in the Western Division.
The cumulative figure since November 2013 is 25,300 of clinically suspected dengue cases, monitored on a weekly basis.
Dr Kama said anyone, who displayed symptoms of the virus, must present themselves to their nearest health facility at the earliest so it could be diagnosed.
“The centre of the epidemic has moved from Suva to the Western Division,” Dr Kama said.
There have been 15 dengue related deaths in Fiji since December 2013.
Two were registered last week.
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5. CENTRE OPENS OPPORTUNITIES FOR ECONOMIC BOOST IN NADELEI
A new facility designed to boost economic opportunities for rural women has been opened in Nadelei village, Tavua district in the province of Ba.
The new Nadelei Women’s Centre has been built with a funding of $5400 from Government and was officially opened by the Minister for Social Welfare, Women and Poverty Alleviation Dr Jiko Luveni this week.
The village is located in the highlands of tikina Tavua and has a population of 500 with subsistence farming as the main source of income.
Since Minister Dr Luveni’s initial visit to the village in June last year, this particular community has seen positive developments taking shape through various assistance provided by Government.
Nadelei Women’s Group president, Alililaite Makara said the centre will help them thrive in their bee keeping project.
In 2010, the group was assisted with $5000 worth of materials including five bee hives from the Department of Women to start the bee keeping project.
“Nadelei women are indeed grateful to the Government for the assistance in developing the much awaited facility in this village. Since 2010 we had formed our group but we didn’t even have a place to do our weekly women’s activities like weaving, sewing and baking.
“Through our discussions with Dr Luveni last year we had put our request and today we have witnessed this project come to reality. Had it not been for the Ministry’s assistance we would still be struggling to collect the funds to build this centre,” Mrs Makara said.
“Our main source of income is through honey production. Through recent harvests we have earned more than $300 by selling just over 60 kilograms of honey,” she added.
“It’s a profitable business, we usually sell it in Tavua market and in nearby villages at prices ranging from $8 to $15 per bottle. With this new Centre, we will be able to do the honey extraction, labeling and packaging all under one roof and with six more bee hives to be provided by the Ministry, it will further boost our honey production through which we will be able fetch more market and folk more money,” she added.
Minister Luveni said the new women centre has been opened with the objective of advancing the economic capabilities of Nadelei women to empower them to uplift the lives of their families.
“The Nadelei women have demonstrated great potential in driving positive changes in their community and the Ministry has gladly assisted them with this centre as a way to recognize their years’ of hard work,” Dr Luveni said.
She said the Ministry will also assist the group to get more equipment and expand their honey production.
“This project is the reflection of government’s unwavering commitment to advance women’s social and economic visibility,” Dr Luveni reiterated.
“The Ministry is encouraging women’s groups that government is ready to assist you and the onus is also for them to come forward and take advantage of the opportunities provided. The women centres are also platforms to facilitate programs dedicated to upskilling women and to enhance their capabilities to lead their communities,” Dr Luveni explained.
Nadelei village headman, Ilai Manoa thanked the Government for the timely assistance and said the centre will help to alleviate poverty in his community.
“We thank the Bainimarama Government and in particular Minister Dr Jiko Luveni for supporting us in this new venture that has united the men and women of Nadelei to work together in trying to improve the livelihood of Nadelei people.
The centre will help us to unfold new opportunities and help us to achieve more by tapping on the resources available around us,” Mr Manoa said.
In March this year, Nadelei village has also been declared as one of the violence free communities in Fiji.
This status has been achieved through the completion of the 11 month awareness programs that were facilitated by Fiji Police and the Ministry of Women.
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6. MINISTRY ENGAGES EVENT ORGANISER FOR WOMEN’S EXPO
The Ministry of Women, Social Welfare and Poverty Alleviation has engaged a consultant to assist in the organisation of the inaugural National Women’s Expo – Rural Designer Awards 2014.
Minister for Women, Social Welfare and Poverty Alleviation Dr Jiko Luveni signed a consultancy agreement and presented a cheque to event organizer, Inoke Bainimarama in Suva this week.
Dr Luveni said over 3000 women will gather for the first Women’s Expo in Fiji and preparations are well underway.
“Women’s groups and organisations are already liaising with their nearest women’s office to lodge their names and there will be over 30 booths at the expo. Women’s groups will also have the opportunity to display and sell their products,” Dr Luveni said.
Dr Luveni said seminars will also be held for women’s groups and other participants during the three-day event.
“The ministry will also organize leadership and economic empowerment training workshops for the women. For the first time ever, we will train 230 Marama ni Yavusa on leadership skills along with empowerment activities and capacity building workshops,” Dr Luveni added.
Mr Bainimarama said the Women’s Expo is a platform for rural and urban women to network and share their ideas and experiences.
“This is going to be a very big event and I am excited to be part of it. It will need a lot of planning because we are looking at accommodation of women’s groups as well. All in all, we are progressing well with the preparations,” Mr Bainimarama said.
The Department of Women has an estimated budgetary allocation of $354,000 for the much awaited forum, which will be held at the Vodafone Arena from 6th to 8th August, 2014.
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