The FIJI Association of Women Graduates (FAWG).

1. The FIJI Association of Women Graduates (FAWG). UN CSW EVENT – Sponsored By VGIF and WWB The Cutting Edge: Technology and its Impact on Work, Wealth and Women Leadership. “Fostering Women’s Leadership and Changing Culture and Values – Experiences from Fiji”. Wednesday 23rd February, 2010. Dr Akanisi Kedrayate

2. Introduction • FAWG is a full member of IFUW and PGWNET • FAWG is committed to the promotion, development & advancement of girls & women leaders through education. • FAWG has been concerned with the issue of low enrollment in science subjects and technology in secondary schools and tertiary institutions.

3. Goal – To promote life-long education, to improve the status of women and girls and to enable women to take leadership roles and effect positive changes for a peaceful world. • It has 300 members in the book but only 100 are active.

4. PROJECTS • 1. Scholarship Funds • To support young women studying in non-traditional fields. • Funds raised from monthly lunches & Quiz nights • Also supported by Aus Aid. Aims of Project is to: • Promote gender equality and leadership. • Provide education opportunities in non-traditional fields for girls & women from disadvantaged socio-economic background. • Encourage and mentor them to successfully complete their studies and to provide leadership in their fields.

5. Project…….continued • Support training to empower girls & women to contribute to leadership and decision-making in society where female participation is few. • Since its establishment in 2005, 10 girls have successfully graduated in their fields. Plumbing, Carpentry, Electronics, Electrical Engineering, Automotive and Mechanical Engineering.

6. Student Support • FAWG supports the students through mentoring and encouraging process. • Students are invited to share their progress and experiences at monthly lunches. • FAWG members give regular advice and support. • Students’ academic progress provided by the lecturers to FAWG Scholarship committee. • Media support, awareness and motivation.

7. Project B:Supported by VGIF • Science workshops for girls and their teachers in rural secondary schools in Fiji. • FAWG was concerned with the low enrollment of girls in secondary schools and tertiary institutions particularly in physics, chemistry and technology. • Organized three science workshops for girls and their teachers from rural secondary schools in Fiji. • Each workshop was generously funded by VGIF. • VGIF also supported the purchase of science books to rural primary and secondary schools.

8. Objectives of the workshops • Create greater awareness and interests among girls in rural schools about science education and its values to them and society. • Bring girls to the university to be exposed to science laboratories & equipment. • Provide opportunities for girls to carry out experiments under the guidance of female lecturers and post-graduate students. • Visit other institutions where science and technology are being taught.

9. Objectives…..Cont • Learn from the experiences of successful science lecturers and be inspired to take up science subjects in secondary schools. • Be inspired by FAWG members who are role models and leaders in Science and Humanities at the University of the South Pacific.

10. Workshop One • Schools :Eastern, Western & Southern groups • Participants: 11 teachers & 11 students. 14-16years • Duration: : 3 days • Programmes: Biology,Chemistry,Physics and Environmental Science. • Field trips to nearby shore and mangroves. • Visit to other science and technology institutions. Role Model Past President of FAWG told participants how she become Chief Technician in Physics and eventually Laboratory Manager.

11. Workshop Two • Schools :Northern and Central • Participants :11 teachers & 11 students. 14-16years • Duration :4 days • Programmes: Biology, Chemistry, Physics and Environmental Science. • Field trips to nearby shore and mangroves. • Visit other science & technology institutions. Role Models Head of Chemistry and Acting Head of School of Pure and Applied science shared experiences.

12. Workshop Three • Schools : Selected 10 schools from the two main • islands, Viti Levu and Vanua Levu. • Participants: 10 teachers & 10 students. 14-16years • Duration : 4 days • Programmes: Biology, Chemistry, Physics and Environmental Science. • Field trips to nearby shore and mangroves. • Visited other science & technology institutions . Role Models Head of School of Humanities and President of FAWG shared her leadership experiences.

13. Outcomes of Workshops • Greater awareness & motivation of the importance of science and technology in everyday life, community, and national development. • Students exposed to new ideas in science and modern equipments. • Teachers benefitted by sharing their experiences & problems of teaching science in rural schools. • Students made new friends and were motivated to take up science subjects in schools and university.

14. Future Projects • Research/ Evaluation on the: “Effects of science workshops on students and teachers”. • Research on the: “ Experiences in the world of work of girls and women who have benefitted from the scholarships”.

15. Conclusion “The encouragement I received from FAWG was enormous. If it would not have been for their monetary help, I may still be uneducated, probably a cashier or even mothering a few children, as it happens in an Indian culture. I was picked up as a school leaver to be now a Computer Aided Drafting professional. My dream is now a reality.” Doreen Prasad. Advanced Diploma in Civil Engineering.

16. Cont. • “I never knew science could be so interesting and related to real life; and also there are women science lecturers; I really want to become one one day”. The End