The Nofotane Samoa Business Training for 100 Nofotane Women Role Models is currently underway, engaging 80 selected role models in Upolu and 20 in Savai’i. This training is part of the Nofotane Samoa Social Enterprise (NSSE) Project, funded by the European Union and implemented by the Samoa Victim Support Group (SVSG).
The Business Training is a key component of the empowerment, education, and employment pillars of the SVSG’s survivor-centered approach. This initiative supports the transition of the Nofotane Program into a social enterprise. The first module in the three-module series is the Nofotane Product Quality Module, which addresses challenges faced by Nofotane women entrepreneurs, including financial literacy, product quality, cost-saving measures, packaging, marketing, and timely delivery.
Through the NSSE Project, SVSG aims to build the capacity of Nofotane Women Role Models in business development. The training equips these entrepreneurs with the expertise needed to establish sustainable businesses, essential for the setup, operation, and long-term success of the Nofotane Samoa Social Enterprise.
The vision of the NSSE Project is to establish a Nofotane Samoa Social Enterprise representing financially independent, socially empowered, and healthy Nofotane women.
In 2015, SVSG data revealed that 85% of the 4,500 women survivors of violence who sought support from SVSG between 2005 and 2015 were unemployed Nofotane women. To economically empower these women, SVSG provided livelihood skill training, enabling them to earn an income and gain recognition for their contributions to their husbands’ families.
SVSG President Siliniu Lina Chang pointed out that the economic empowerment initiative aims to address gender inequality without altering the cultural essence of Fa’aSamoa (the Samoan Way). “A nofotane woman will always be a nofotane. For this project to have a local impact, it must continue to be culturally sensitive in achieving gender equality.”
President Siliniu expressed her enthusiasm for the training, stating, “These are exciting times for the Nofotane Women Role Models as we build the capacity necessary to establish the Nofotane Samoa Social Enterprise. The ripple effect of the NSSE will see empowered women continuing to advocate for gender equality in their village communities through livelihood skill training for both young and older unemployed Nofotane women.”
