Changing the Culture of Violence in Fiji

A review of what the puppet project has achieved is taking place now with visits to the communities who have been involved with the project. Reports are coming in that children are making puppets in their communities and this will help them express their problems and wishes. The puppets speak on behalf of the children who would otherwise not talk about what is happening in their lives. Facilitators can then talk through the puppets and help the children find the virtues which will help them solve their problems. 

There are resports which need to be followed through of some school teachers using puppets to help the children they teach to work through the challenges life poses. The Virtues Project Fiji will expand its work to provide more training to teachers in how the puppets and the Virtues Project work together with among other things the ability to control a class room and to provide positive discipline.

The results of the review are to be presented to government heads of department and ministers as there has been a lot of publicity and media attention on the issue of bullying and abuse of women and children this past year. There is no solution offered and all that is said is that it must stop. This is where the Virtues Tool Box is being developed to show that action can be actively undertaken to address the issue. The presentation to the ministers will include the Tool Box and an explanation of how it works.

In addition to working on the puppets and the problems of abuse the Virtues Project Fiji continues to work with the villages on management and on helping women develop their business skills using the virtues of honesty, trustworthiness and integrity.

Rural unemployed women in Fiji are being given an opportunity to develop small businesses in a group condition with loans being made available so that they can support one another to repay the loan to the lender. Two virtues facilitators have become involved with one of these groups and has been training them to use the five strategies of The Virtues Project in their relationship to each other and to their business activities. The strategy to 'set clear boundaries and consequences' has enabled this group to deal with several members who are not fulfilling their obligations to the group. In addition this group is using the virtues to care for each other and support each other in unity to achieve success in their business activities. The result is that this group is meeting the challenges and has accummulated significant funds in its savings account. 

A second group of women have not used the strategies of The Virtues Project and their savings have dwindled to almost nothing. They are asking the leader of the first group what they have done to have been so successful. When this second group request assistance they will receive training in the strategies of The Virtues Project. It has been noted that the first group which has been successful so far need refresher courses to maintain the skills of the five strategies. As with most habits it takes time to work on a skill before it becomes 'second nature' and in this case where there is a group of people involved this work may take some years to accomplish.

While this work is under way other activities in the Virtues Project Fiji continue to progress. An invitation to train the members in one village was recieved and a presentation made to them on the use of The Virtues Project in parenting. 

The Five Strategies of The Virtues Project are being prepared as a 'tool box' containing the 52 virtues cards defining 52 virtues together with a sheet on each strategy to be distributed to communities undergoing training to use the virtues in  every day situations.