CAPTION: Coordinator, Shamima Ali and Peter Sipeli, LGBTQI facilitator, with participants of the Regional Training Program on 6 June, 2013. Photo; SUPPLIED.
The Fiji Women’s Crisis Centre [FWCC] has just successfully completed its 37th Regional Training Program, with a graduation ceremony held at Studio 6 in Suva, last night.
Forty-seven participants from the Federated States of Micronesia, Fiji, Kiribati, Papua New Guinea, Solomon Islands Tonga Tuvalu and Vanuatu graduated after a month long intensive training program in Gender Awareness & Gender Sensitization issues, basic Counselling skills, Prevention Strategies against Violence Against Women [VAW] and Media relation skills. The Chief Guest at the Graduation Ceremony was the outgoing UNDP Representative, Knut Ostby, who congratulated the participants on their successful completion of the training program.
“We have come a long way since our first Regional Training Program in 1995, and it is encouraging to see more and more people work in eliminating Violence Against Women and Girls applying to attend the training”, said the Coordinator of the FWCC, Shamima Ali.
“This training session has been especially good as we have participants from diverse backgrounds including police officers from Fiji, Kiribati, Papua New Guinea Tuvalu and Vanuatu; lawyers, broadcasters, journalists, activists and counsellors. The diverse range has allowed us over the years to tailor the program to ensure that the training is conducive to the challenges of Gender and VAW issues”.
Participants were sponsored by Barrack Mining (Papua New Guinea), Pacific Prevention of Domestic Violence Programme (New Zealand), AusAid, NZAid, UNWomen and the Fiji Women’s Crisis Centre.
“As a broadcaster on local radio in Papua New Guinea, I plan on taking back the gender sensitisation skills learnt from this program and sharing that knowledge with fellow broadcasters and colleagues in local media. To be part of the solution and not the problem”, remarked Charlie Togia, at the Graduation and Closing ceremony at Studio 6 last night.
The Fiji Women’s Crisis Centre will conduct the second Regional Training Program for this year in October.
PRESS RELEASE