‘LEAVING NO ONE BEHIND’

​Mrs. Taua Kose, a Nofotane Woman Star Earner under the SVSG Nofotane Project will be heading off to Hawaii to participate in the Changing Faces Women’s Leadership Seminarcoordinated by the East-West Centre of Hawaii, from 7 – 20 July 2019.
 
Mrs. Kose’s application as a participant was amongst the Asia-Pacific women leaders vying for a place in theWomen’s Leadership Seminar.  The Seminar focus on Women as Innovators and Entrepreneurs.  Out of the hundreds that applied, Mrs. Kose is one of the 17 successful applicants representing 12 countries in the Asia-Pacific region. She is a home bred woman leader from our grassroot community and we are humbled.
 
According to Mrs. Kose, “who would have thought 2 years ago that an unemployed nofotane woman like me would be a breadwinner in my family and now, off to Hawaii to learn how to become an effective woman leader?  I thank God for His plans for my life.”
 
Mrs. Kose is one of the youngest unemployed nofotane women at 25 years of age whose life and that of her family changed for the better due to the Nofotane Project.  The project was coordinated by Samoa Victim Support Group from 2016 – 2018 with funding support from the UN Women Fund for Gender Equality, to address the gender equality issues faced by the nofotane women through economic empowerment. 
 
“We are excited at how far the Nofotane Women have come, and what the future holds for them as empowered women. This is SVSG’s preventative approach to address domestic violence in Samoa.  It builds on the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development of ‘Leaving No One Behind.” Siliniu Lina Chang, SVSG President

Mrs. Kose is one of the many success stories of women empowerment, of regained self-confidence, of family transformation courtesy of the Nofotane Project.  
 
Creating innovative products from trash such as coffee mix sachets, Mrs. Kose is now a breadwinner in her family, selling her colorful purses, ladies handbags, table mats, fruit baskets and earning an approximate income of $400 - $500 per week.
 
To ensure that other nofotane women enjoyed the benefits of being empowered like herself, Mrs. Kose became one of the trainers of the Nofotane Project, teaching other women how to use their weaving skills to create innovative products from trash.  “It not only earns us money, but it also cleans up the environment,” says Mrs. Kose.
 
Mrs. Kose’s participation to the Changing Faces Women’s Leadership Seminaris fully sponsored by the US Embassy in Apia, that took up the sponsorship role once they have learnt of a nofotane woman being represented in this important Women’s Leaders Seminar.
 
Today, the US Ambassador Scott Brown congratulated Mrs. Kose on her achievement and wished her well during her learning journey.  “Thank you so much to the US Government through Ambassador Scott Brown and the US Embassy Apia Chargé d’Affaires Tony Greubel for supporting the Nofotane Women, through Mrs. Kose’s participation to the Women’s Leadershi Seminar.” Siliniu Lina Chang, SVSG President