Sera Navuga 
Lautoka Market Vendors Association President Filomena O’Neill
Lautoka market vendors, particularly women, are gaining awareness of their rights and responsibilities through the UN Women’s Markets for Change (MC4) project.
Lautoka Market Vendors Association President Filomena O’Neill said many vendors previously had little understanding of the market’s rules and by-laws.
She explained that vendors often operated informally, coming and going without guidance on proper conduct.
Vendors now learn that the market belongs to the council and that they must work and sell within designated areas and comply with established by-laws.
“They came in with this vakavanua system where you just come and sell and go, anybody could come and sell and go. But then, along the way, when the project was implemented, when we started training them that such a thing exists, the market by-laws, they started to learn that when they sit in the market, they have to be working and selling within that area, within those laws.”
O’Neill said the training has helped vendors understand that following the rules ensures order and equality.
Through the MC4 project, vendors have received training in financial literacy and leadership, equipping them to run their businesses more effectively while adhering to council requirements.
The initiative is part of a broader effort to empower women vendors across Fiji, strengthening livelihoods and creating safe, regulated, and equitable market environments.
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