Waikete centre scoops award
Posted on September 21, 2020
The South Pacific Business Development Microfinance (Fiji) Pte Ltd has assisted many women and centres around the country to advance them in the business sector.
After two years of being recognised as finalists Waikete Centre managed to scoop the SPBD Centre of the Year award for the year 2019 on August 14.
Centre’s chief Seini Tabaki said they had 30 members and most of the members ran their own little businesses.
She said the women were either crab catchers, fisherwomen or ran their own canteens.
Ms Tabaki added it was through the centre they were able to get business licences.
“I have 30 members, I think 24 of my members have a canteen and also have business licences.
“I make sure my members have registered their business and have the required licence.”
She said she ran the centre for five years and SPBD provided the financial training and saving trainings for the members.
“My job is to make sure the members follow the five core SPBD commitments and to make sure they run their own business and have them know I would always be there for them when they need help.”
She said she assisted the members financially or by nurturing their family as well as assisting in the education of their children.
“In March during the lockdown we were not doing payments, we were just doing savings and I know that members were facing financial problems as business was not running.”
She added during this time she would also visit every member and assist them in any way she could.
“Like myself I buy food rations and help them by asking them if they need financial assistance.”
She said most of these women either grew vegetables and crops or were bakers.
So she would sell their products at the Nausori Town whenever they needed financial assistance and give the money from the sale back to them.
According to information in the SPBD magazine, the centre was first established in 2012 with 14 members but now have about 30 active members, who run small businesses of their own.
These range from running their own canteens to tailoring, livestock, root and vegetable farming, making jewellery and handicrafts, pastries, jams and pickles and making food deliveries, and wholesaling yaqona.
The members were said to have been achieving individual financial goals, from improving their homes, to expanding their businesses and, most importantly, to educating the future generation.
Their contributions went on to refurbishing the village hall with new mats, curtains and decorations.
All these members meet for about four to five hours a week to carry out community work according to SPBD.
Ms Tabaki is no stranger to the assistance provided by SPBD as she too has been nominated for awards in the past four years.
The mother of five said it was her seventh loan cycle with the microfinance institute as she had started back in 2013.
“I started my business as a market vendor where I used my first loan to purchase vegetables to sell at the Nausori market.
“In 2014 I got my second loan and I started my business, registered my business and also did my business licences.
“Today I am on my seventh loan cycle and I am running three to four businesses.”
Ms Tabaki says she also owns a canteen at home while at the market she sells fish and crabs which she buys from the members.
“I have taken my seventh loan of about $8000 and with that money I got to help my husband to travel abroad.
“He is now in Australia and I am here doing my business, I stay home and monitor the businesses. “My centre has been the finalist for the past two years and me as a centre chief I have also been a finalist four years in a row,” she said.
Source: Fiji times
