Page 16 - IB June 2019

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Business “I believe the spotlight “After [Tropical Cyclone] “For us in the humanitarian “For women in Vanuatu,
should shine on the Gita, I had realised that sector, it’s important that women’s peace and security
leadership because women protection and the right to these human security is means safe shelters and
Sustaining Peace is Inclusive
with disabilities can also
not living in fear of being
trying to get their start-ups off the ground. provide assistance and be life and the basic necessities extended to the humanitarian disasters, which affect
must be immediate and
displaced. Women are at the
sector that we are working in
Similarly, Singh’s Fiji charity, Mentor Me, emerged from first responders in disasters urgent for the people. We because women are always food, water, health and
frontline of these disasters
and Inter-Generational
and for us, when we’re
a conversation she had with a girl her own age at Dilku- because they understand can’t stop the natural disaster affected by so many disasters other insecurities.
but we can arm ourselves
looking at protection with
sha Home, a Methodist Church-run home for orphaned their networks and their with knowledge on better and we have to look at the However, despite the
communities better. As
new and emerging issues
dignity, we’re looking at
children outside Suva. women with disability, we preparedness. We must that affects the lives of adoption of the plan,
by femLINKpacific
actually being confident at
“ I was going to NZ for university and I asked her what only need the appropriate include women and young women in the Pacific region being at the frontline and
being at the humanitarian
support mechanisms to
and disasters are one of
women in the discussion.
she was doing next year, and she said, ‘I’m aging out’. It lead us to providing that After Gita, I saw a lot of the them so we have to look at the lack of dedicated
decision-making spaces
wasn’t something she was doing; it was something that assistance that’s needed on key decision-makers were the humanitarian sector” resources to the women,
because if you are at the
It’s time to make the table bigger if we want to build on the legacy
frontline, you’re wanna lead
was being done to her. the ground” – Luisa Mana, Fiji men” – Vanessa Heleta, – Josephine Teakeni, Vois peace and security agenda
of the women’s movement in sustaining peace in the Pacific. This
confidently and lead the
“So she had to leave the orphanage. She hadn’t passed National Council for Disability Talitha Project, Tonga Blong Mere, Solomon Islands. - in particular prevention,
community towards safety
Persons, Fiji
FSLC [Fiji School Leaving Certificate], she had hardly means bringing in young women and empowering them to step dialogue and mediation
and dignity” – Yasmine
Bjournum, Sistah magazine,
passed any of her papers, she wasn’t going to go to uni- into leadership spaces that haven’t always been welcoming to - has resulted in the
Vanuatu
versity or had seen that as a path at all… it was kind of women in general. envisaged collaboration
just a drop-dead date and I really wanted to change that. “Creating the space is the key for young women,” says Vanessa between a Pacific regional
So I set up a Facebook page, asked for volunteers, did a Heleta, Executive Director of the Talitha Project. network of women peace
screening and we had our first group.” builders with government
Mentor Me matches high school students at Dilkusha “Bring them all together, mobilise them and then give them the officials including in regional inter-governmental processes.
with high performing university students, who coach necessary knowledge. Let them come up with the solutions,
them throughout high school. However Singh says to because only they know what they’re going through and only they Additionally, while women, peace and security action plans have
break the cycle these children often find themselves in, can create solutions,” Heleta explains. been adopted in Bougainville and the Solomon Islands, it is not
takes a whole-of-community effort. Other times, space can look like a quiet meeting room filled with clear whether resources are available to integrate the plans into
“I led a project for the ministry for vulnerable children security sector and foreign policy plans or to provide the resources
Photo: Beverly Seeto in New Zealand and I would love, love, love for something young women who often reach out to other young women. needed to ensure women’s civil society networks can contribute to
like that to happen here. What we did there was recognise “If you want to create a space, for example, where young women implementation as well as being the much-needed accountability
Relentlessly curious that there isn’t a transitionary space for these kids. So my team can just come and talk to somebody, we need to pay for that space,” oversight for such plans. But we continue to drive a transformative
agenda for gender inclusive conflict prevention and human security.
says Adi Vasulevu, Executive Director of Transcend Oceania.
designed this thing called transition care, which was when you
reach that age, you go into a transition home, where there’s about Women’s peace activists with civil society partners through the
The secret to Singh’s success six of you, then you have two people who are like your senior In the few ‘spaces’ that are open to women, young women are Global Partnership for the Prevention of Armed Conflict (GPPAC)
almost invisible.
flatmates, and they are paid by the government and their job is Pacific network, for example, have continued to shed a light on the
to teach them financial literacy and independence, budgeting, “I think the changes that are really needed are for young women’s
By Samantha Magick cooking, all those skills. All six of those people must be in some voices to be really heard,” says Sabrina Brown, Secretary of the resolution as well as work to localise the commitments in practical
kind of higher education or working in some way and contribut- Vanuatu Young Women for Change (VYWC). ways.
“I’m going to share a lie, a secret and a wish with you.” ing. So you’re no longer in this umbrella care where everything is We continue to highlight the nexus between gender equality,
That was the opening gambit of Priya Singh, who at 29 is the provided for you, you’re transitioning into adulthood and I think But with women-led efforts in the peace-building journey often peace, human security, development and humanitarian response
youngest General Manager (Data, Process & Advanced Analyt- that would go a long way for our children, while also bolstering going unnoticed, how do we then bring young people into the with a focus on Participation for Prevention – not just simply
ics) at Fonterra, the world’s largest exporter of dairy products. the amount of support that we give them in terms of academic movement to understand and be part of the work of conflict preventing the occurrence of violence at the domestic front or
Singh is a daughter of Fiji who is making it big on the world education.” prevention? within communities but tracking the indicators and root causes of
stage – literally. She recently spoke to an audience of 3000 people “Informed choice is what the voice is all about, to enable women violence particularly in situations of fragile peace and in response
at the World Congress of Accountants in Sydney, in what she The wish to have those relevant and informed choices that will enable them
describes now as a surreal experience. This month she spoke at It was when she revealed her wish, and got some audience par- to make those informed choices and also to empower the young to the impact of growing environmental insecurities including
more intimate, Fiji Institute of Accountants Women in Leadership ticipation happening, that the FIA gathering really began to buzz. women media in my country to be able to have the skills and intensifying disasters.
events about her career. Singh says hoped that the (mainly feamle audience members) knowledge to be the voice also for our country on those goals,” And as young women support the work that’s been done within the
would be able to look at work as more than something that feeds movement, the knowledge sharing must continue.
The lie them. “I look at work in three different ways. There’s work that says Josephine Teakeni, the Executive Director of Vois Blong Mere
Singh says the idea that there is a ‘male brain’ and a ‘female feeds you, there’s work that feeds your soul, and then there’s Solomon Islands. “For me being here it’s learning from other women, it really helps
brain,’ or to put it in pop-culture terms, ‘men are from Mars and work that feeds the world. The Pacific Regional Action Plan was progressive in its me a lot in the work that I do in getting to help other young women,”
women are from Venus’ is a lie. “My wish is that you will fill the other two bubbles, if you aren’t identification of the nexus between peace and development, as well says Brown.
Having spent most of her academic and working life in male doing that already. Don’t try to find one thing that does all three of as United Nations Security Council Resolution (UNSCR) 1325 and “Engagement is the way forward for us, more forums and platforms
dominated fields, Singh believes that everyone can access both them. Diversify your portfolio. Time is your most important asset.” humanitarian action, given our reality of dealing with the impact of the that will enable us to advocate and move on the issues of peace
their left and right brains, that is, their creative, artistic and While New Zealand is Singh’s home for now, Fiji is her home slow onset of climate change, particularly the nature of intensifying building and conflict resolution,” concluded Teakeni.
their logical, detail-orientated, mathematical thinking, but that forever. Singh told the audience that during one of her most pro-
sometimes society pushes you to one rather than the other. “It’s fessionally challenging times, she came home for a weekend, and
in your control” she told the audience. that time was enough for her to go back to work re-energised. This media initiative is made possible through the support of
“I draw a lot of energy from home, and it sounds really cheesy
The secret but its literally the land. Like every time I come off a plane and
Singh says the secret to her success is her relentless curiosity. my feet touch the ground, I get a burst of energy through my
“I think I got a lot of it from my grandma,” she told Islands body. And I think it is also, my parents still live here, my grandma
Business. “Just this boldness of ‘it doesn’t matter what other still lives here, a lot of my high school friends are still close, my
people think’ or what will happen to you, because if you don’t fiancé is from Fiji, his siblings are here, his parents are here, and
ask, it’s the same as everything being the way it is right now.” in NZ I’m kind of in this bubble where I go to work, I do all these
Singh says her relentless curiosity led her to set up her New different types of work but my support network is really at home.
Zealand charity, “Karma Collective,” which is a digital platform And you forget it, and every time I come home, I am reminded...
connecting Masters and PhD students and young professionals Fiji is one of the best places in the world, I am very lucky that I
in Auckland, with entrepreneurs in the developing world who are call this place home.”
16 Islands Business, June 2019
“I believe the spotlight “After [Tropical Cyclone] “For us in the humanitarian “For women in Vanuatu,
should shine on the Gita, I had realised that sector, it’s important that women’s peace and security
leadership because women protection and the right to these human security is means safe shelters and
with disabilities can also life and the basic necessities extended to the humanitarian not living in fear of being
provide assistance and be must be immediate and sector that we are working in displaced. Women are at the
first responders in disasters urgent for the people. We because women are always frontline of these disasters
because they understand can’t stop the natural disaster affected by so many disasters and for us, when we’re
their networks and their but we can arm ourselves and we have to look at the looking at protection with
communities better. As with knowledge on better new and emerging issues dignity, we’re looking at
women with disability, we preparedness. We must that affects the lives of actually being confident at
only need the appropriate include women and young women in the Pacific region being at the frontline and
support mechanisms to women in the discussion. and disasters are one of being at the humanitarian
lead us to providing that After Gita, I saw a lot of the them so we have to look at decision-making spaces
assistance that’s needed on key decision-makers were the humanitarian sector” because if you are at the
the ground” – Luisa Mana, Fiji men” – Vanessa Heleta, – Josephine Teakeni, Vois frontline, you’re wanna lead
National Council for Disability Talitha Project, Tonga Blong Mere, Solomon Islands. confidently and lead the
Persons, Fiji community towards safety
and dignity” – Yasmine
Bjournum, Sistah magazine,
Vanuatu