Ha'atafu Women's Group meets Australian visitors [1]
Thursday, September 5, 2019 - 16:53
A Ha’atafu women’s group yesterday showed off their income earning activities, including agriculture produce, handicrafts, and fine mats, to a visiting advisory group interested in the advancement of Pacific women.
Visitors from Australia’s Pacific Women Shaping Pacific Development program, in Tonga for their annual board meeting this week, were joined by the Australian High Commissioner, HE Adrian Morrison, and the Minister for Agriculture, Food and Forestry, the Honourable Losaline Ma’asi.
Mr Morrison said it was wonderful to see a group of successful, passionate and committed women, meet in Nuku’alofa.
“They were inspired particularly by their time with the women of Ha’atafu, and their vision for lifting incomes and living standards through vegetable farming and handicraft production.”
The Ha'atafu women's group agriculture project is an example of Australia’s support for women under their Direct Aid Program. The group also received employability skills training through the Australian funded Tonga Skills program. These are part of Australia's commitment to stepping up its engagement in the Pacific, including Tonga.
The advisory board members also had the opportunity to visit other organizations supported by Australia such as the Women and Children’s Crisis Centre, Tonga National Centre for Women and Children, and the Family Protection Legal Aid Centre.
They met with female chief executive officers from government ministries, directors of civil society groups and Tongan women leading in various fields.
Also in Tonga this week is Kathy Klugman, First Assistant Secretary for the Pacific Strategy Division in Australia’s Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade, who was pleased to see successful Australian initiatives on the ground especially for women in rural areas.
The Pacific Women Shaping Pacific Development [2] advisory board members in Tonga include Niki Rattle (Cook Is), Tracey Newbury (Canbera, DFAT), Yoshiko Capelle (Marshall Islands), Natalia Latu (Tonga), Jane Kesno (PNG), Reverend Sereima Lomaloma (Fiji), Maere Tekanene (Kiribati), and Merilyn Tahi (Vanuatu).
The development program commits up to AUD 320 million over 10 years to 14 Pacific Island Forum member countries, including Tonga, and aims to improve opportunities for the political, economic and social advancement of Pacific women.