Women market vendors receive mattresses, bunk beds, tables and chairs

Women market vendors at the Suva Municipal Market will benefit from new furnishings handed over today.

The female market vendors accommodation which was opened last year now has 20 bunk beds, mattresses, pillows, tables, and chairs.

The furnishings will be used by 80 to 100 women each week.

UN Women Country Representative, Aleta Miller, said the provision of furnishing and improvement to the spaces used by women was a very important activity.

The mattress and bunk beds will create a comfortable and clean environment for women who travel from rural areas to sell their produce in Suva. Markets for Change aims to improve the working conditions of market vendors, who are predominately rural women, and help them to increase their earnings.

We know for producing and selling is hard work, and having a safe and comfortable place to rest,sleep and meet will make a big difference to many women. Most of these women stay at the market Thursday to Saturday and are currently sleeping without an appropriate bed.

Minister of Local Government, Housing, and Environment, Hon, Parveen K Bala thanked the UN women for their donation.

It is a great honour for me to be here and to receive this kind of donation from UN Women.Women have played a significant a role in the municipal market and ladies and gentlemen join me once again to thank UN women for their support.

Minister Kumar also announced government plan of building a new market in Suva.

There has been various talk of a new municipal market in Suva, my ministry is in discussion with the Suva City Council. The government will need a proper planning for the people of Suva for a new market because this is the only area left to consider to have a new market.

I know that there are some difficulties that some of the market vendors are facing right now and let me assure you that this government has plans for building a new market in Suva and is my only wish and hope that come next year we should start with the design and planning.

The Ministry of Local Government,Housing, and Environment and UN Women are working collaboratively through the Market for Change Project in 10 market sites in Fiji.

The furnishing was provided by UN Women through a grant of $21592.84 by the New Zealand Volunteer Service Abroad (VSA) and the Tindall Foundation of New Zealand.