SPIRITUAL GUIDANCE BOOSTS ECONOMIC EMPOWERMENT

​The nofotane women who participanted in the 20th livelihood training session for the Nofotane project were spiritually challenged by Reverend Tautua Aulerio of the Congregational Christian Church of Samoa at Vaigaga, to look at their problems not as a way of God punishing them, but as His way of testing their faith.
 
“If anyone will not work, neither shall he eat.  For we hear that there are some who walk among you in a disorderly manner, not working at all, but are busybodies.” 2 Thessalonians 3: 11
The spiritual message from Rev. Tautua officially opened the training session for the Faleata West constituency where women from Vaigaga, Vaiusu, Vailoa, Tulaele and Vaitele gathered at the CCCS Vaigaga Hall to be economically empowered. 

The message was direct and it sets the eagerness and the excitement amongst the nofotane women who were trainined on the four (4) selected skills for the Nofotane project: fabric printing, commercial cooking, handicraft and flower arrangement.  There was a mixture of the young and the old, the children and the youth as each chose a skill to be trained on, and worked diligently to master the art of such skill. 
 
With Rev. Tautua’s spiritual message in mind, none of the participants wanted to be left behind.  The creativity of some saw the weaving of handbags from coffee mix trash, with different eye catching colour designs.  The demand for such bags was huge that clients were lined up for their orders even before the bags were completed.

Out of the 100 nofotane women who participated, 50% registered to start a small business from the skills being trained on with handicraft being the most popular one.
 
Thank you Rev. Tautua and the Congregational Christian Church of Samoa at Vaigaga for hosting the training program and for encouraging the nofotane women to work hard for themselves and their families.