Women in Vanuabalavu, Lau, should be encouraged to sell their handicrafts as an additional source of income. This comes after the Vanuabalavu Expo helped several women earn more money in just three days.
Daulako Mavoa of Boitaci Village on Vanuabalavu was among the women who benefited from the expo. “Women have the skills and capabilities to thrive using their handicraft skills,” she said. “We saw many women displaying their woven baskets, mats, and other handicraft items, which helped earn some money for their families during the past three days.”
Ms. Mavoa emphasized the importance of platforms like the Vanuabalavu Expo to showcase the talents and skills of the women of Vanuabalavu. She suggested that more efforts are needed to train these women to improve their handicraft skills.
“I earned more than $300 from selling coconut oil, sasa brooms, and baskets made from coconut leaves,” she said. “We have a lot of natural resources on the island. All that is needed is to train these women on how to further enhance their knowledge in handicraft skills by making use of these natural resources.”
Ms. Mavoa, who has three children, mentioned that her children have been great supporters of her participation in the Vanuabalavu Expo. Two of her children work in Viti Levu, while one lives on Vanuabalavu.
“They helped pay for my kalavata and other items needed to make my crafts to be sold at the Vanuabalavu Expo. I enjoyed being part of this expo and meeting other women from the 17 villages of Vanuabalavu, who came in their different kalavata, which was really nice to see.”
The three-day event concluded yesterday.
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