League president Selina Lee Wah said preparation had started as the meeting, which would bring in participants from 13 countries, will be held in May.

The World Union of Catholic Women's Organisations (WUCWO) was founded in 1910 and now represents 100 Catholic women's organisations worldwide, active in 66 countries including all continents and some island states.

It represents more than five million Catholic women of every walk of life.

WUCWO's aim is to promote the presence, participation and co-responsibility of Catholic women in society and the Church.

It seeks to help women fulfil their mission of evangelisation and to work for human development, particularly in increasing educational opportunities, poverty reduction and the advancement of human rights beginning with the fundamental right to life.

Lee Wah said the meeting would cover various issues, including human trafficking and sexual exploitation.

"We have started liaising with executives of WUCWO and we expect about 500 women to be part of the week-long conference," she said.

"This year is the year of mercy for the Catholic Church and it will be a good opportunity to review our roles in communities in looking after one another."

Lee Wah said the meeting would also discuss how the Catholic women's groups could be good role models as mothers and wives.

"These roles are not only to our families but to the community as a whole and basically looking at how Jesus lived and how important it is for us to follow him," she said.

In January the Fiji Catholic Women's League set its National Strategic Plan for the next four years after their three-day workshop at the Immaculate Conception Parish Hall in Lami.

Source

• fijitimes.com
• wucwo.org
• fijsun.com
• Image: fijisun.com.fj

The CWL have been conducting a waste management survey and taught 35 women the skills to convert trash into usable items.

"Our Memorandum of Understanding with the Catholic Women's League is strengthening the sustainability of this project that emanated from the Clean Pacific campaign," said Ms. Eleni Tokaduadua, Acting Director of the Department of Environment in Fiji.

"We're now working with SPREP to help us sustain this project and ensuring there is continuity in the practices."

Source

• Scoop
• Image: sprep.org

The Catholic Women's Forum said that it organised the "Dialogue Forum" to "raise awareness of the 2013 Draft Constitution for interested members of the community and representatives of Catholic Women's League branches in the Central/Eastern and Western Division," including youth.

The briefing was given at the invitation of the Catholic women's Forum. On Wednesday afternoon the Attorney-General briefed the NGO coalition.

The Attorney-General conducted another briefing session, with the Rural Advisory Councillors, Roko Tuis, and other Provincial Administrators on April 4.

"The PM's decision to extend the consultation period gives us an excellent opportunity to talk about the draft constitution and necessary to dispel myths and misinformation and to reassure people. It is very important for the citizens of Fiji to understand the draft constitution and to hear the rationale for its provisions," the Attorney-General said.

The Attorney-General's Chambers will hold more briefing sessions in the Western and Northern Divisions during this consultation period, which ends on April 26.

Source

• The Fiji Times
• The Jet
• Image: Fiji.gov.fj
  

The president of the women's league, Susana Evenings said the assistance was a blessing for the women and also the newly opened women's market centre at the Suva Market.