Date: 20 Sep 2025
The Balance of Power (BOP) program joined the Soqosoqo Vakamarama iTaukei (SSVM) during its National Executive Committee Meeting on 11 September 2025, continuing its support towards strengthening one of Fiji’s oldest women’s organisations.
BOP’s engagement focused on institutional strengthening and a discussion of SSVM’s proposed Monitoring, Evaluation and Learning (MEL) Plan for its Strategic Development Plan. Shradha Sharma, BOP Operations Manager took participants through exercises that unpacked roles and responsibilities of leadership at the National Executive Council level, the Secretariat and governance and leadership at provincial level. BOP’s MEL Manager, Sereseini Vulavou, led a session on the socialisation of the proposed SSVM MEL Plan.
The gathering also provided an opportunity for SSVM to engage with other partners including Ministry of Women, Children & Social Protection and the iTaukei Affairs Board.
This initiative is part of BOP’s ongoing partnership with SSVM to better understand and support the peak women’s organisation’s support and amplification of women’s leadership from community to national spaces. BOP has supported the development of the 2025–2030 Strategic Development Plan (SDP) and will continue this support with the integration of a MEL Framework and a training program for the SSVM Headquarters team, who will in turn lead the rollout of the SDP across the provincial network.
This partnership will ensure that SSVM remains a driving force in nation building including empowering indigenous women at communities, provincial and national level across Fiji and internationally.
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