Caritas Fiji’s First Responders program trains and supports volunteers to work together in their communities on community-led solutions to sexual violence and violence against women.
This was the first time such workshops had been run by from a faith-based perspective in Fiji, and so generated significant interest. The Fijian Minister for Women, the Hon. Mereseini Vuniwaqa, attended all three workshops, as did the Archbishop of Suva, Peter Loy Chong.
Volunteers first attend a 3-day workshop where they are trained and able to network with other volunteers and with local NGO support staff from their region. The First Responders are supported by local churches and communities; for example, some parishes have provided designated spaces which First Responders can use to provide support services or as an office. This approach of supporting local volunteer-driven networks enables a far greater impact than could be otherwise achieved.
The workshop had broad participation from representatives from interfaith denominations, including priests and pastors from different churches and faith-based organisations, as well as representatives from government and other civil society organisations. Approximately a quarter of the participants were men.