The women of Raviravi Village in Macuata are now equipped with the knowledge and skills to make shell based jewelry to help improve their livelihood.
For the past two weeks, the women of Navatudua Women’s Club have been taught on how to cut and make jewelry from half developed pearls and pearl shells by an expert from Papua New Guinea.
The training is the result of a continuous programme between the Club, the Australian Centre for International Agricultural Research (ACIAR)and the Ministry of Fisheries.
In 2013, the Club started their half pearl farm – known locally as ‘Mabe.’
ACIAR Fiji Half Pearl Project Scientist Pranesh Kishore says the women would sell the half pearls to a handicraft centre in Ba, to process and sell as they did not have electricity to allow them to have the proper tools to make such handicraft.
Kishore says now that the women have enough ‘Mabe’ and oysters to make more, the training has been brought to them to allow them to make the jewelry and sell it.
Following the training, the women have been given manual shell-cutting tools to help kick start their business.