Nileshni Sekar Foundation for Rural Integrated Enterprises N Development (FRIEND) Fiji Islands friend@connect.com.fj

Nileshni Sekar is working as Art Project Supervisor in Foundation for Rural Integrated Enterprises N Development (FRIEND) in the island nation of Fiji. FRIEND is an NGO working towards poverty alleviation. It encourages people to use their talents, build on their skills and use existing resources to be able to earn a living. FRIEND programme includes Friend’s Save Scheme (a rural banking scheme) and Governance and Income Generation Program (IGPs). There is also a pilot project on restorative justice with the prison inmates. Nileshni teaches painting and card making to the deaf youths. The objective of the Friend¹s Fiji Style TM deaf handmade card project is to create employment for unemployed deaf community members and ultimately to create a sustainable micro enterprise for the deaf community.

How are you involving the youth in the Income Generating Programme of your organisation?
More than 20 deaf youths took part in the Governance program where they identified their challenges and made action on changing these. The project started with two girls being trained, the number has since then fluctuated between 8-10 youths being employed. There is very flexible timing and they are able to work in a conducive environment where they can communicate in sign language with each other. Currently, we have a group of eight hearing impaired youths who have been trained and they make cards for orders and selling in the outlets - this is their livelihood. Outside of card making they are also able to participate in many training programmes organised by FRIEND eg Drama, first aid training, education on human rights, etc. These programmes are not only benefiting the eight people employed but also about forty other deaf youths. I also run a kool kids club on Saturdays teaching art to the school kids so they could have this talent to be able to earn a living if they need to. I have also conducted card making training sessions for prison inmates.

What role are the youths playing in the Grassroots Opportunities Action and Leadership (GOAL) programme?
Through the GOAL programme the youths identified their needs, one of which was unemployment. Their employment issue was solved by starting up the income generation program.

The other challenge they had identified was that they had difficulty in communi-cating with general public, health authorities, police, etc. So they started to teach sign language themselves with the help of an interpreter in the beginning and then without any. Two days a week deaf youths teach sign language to general public.

This programme also assisted them to access services such as obtaining driving licence from the LTA and engages them in training programmes, education on human rights, drama, etc.

How much response have you received from the youth in your programmes?
Response has been very positive. The deaf who are unemployed simply came to us to learn card making techniques and work to earn a living. They are now able to communicate with us on other challenges/issues and we assist them to work.

How are you using ICT in your programmes?
I had artistic inclination but I used to do paintings only. When I was encouraged by management to develop this into card making I searched card making on the internet and found the technique known as quilling. I further searched to learn this technique and taught them to deaf to make these cards.

We advertise all Friend’s Fiji Style™ products over the internet on the FRIEND website (www.fijifriend.com) We also network with other artists, material suppliers, distributors, and potential clients via email.

What are you planning as the future initiatives of your organisation?
We find that there are increasing number of youths who have left school and are unemployed. FRIEND is working on starting various income generation with youths. A small group will be taught drama skills to entertain tourists but also do education skits for the school youths. FRIEND is also setting up an art village for some of these artisans to work at.

During my work at FRIEND I have also learnt other skills like glass painting and craft decorating mirrors etc and I will be teaching those skills to unemployed youths for their livelihood. FRIEND’s main aim is poverty alleviation through enterprise development and the organization is focused on this aim and continues to work on this.

How will the Youth and ICT Award help in your future initiative?
It is a boost for our work. This award will be an inspiration for the other youths to see what is possible and this will also be a good marketing tool for the cards and also other Income Generation Products.<