Page 26 - IB January 2023

SPBD SPBD

NABOUWALU BRANCH BRINGS SPBD

CLOSER TO BUA MICROENTREPRENEURS

The new South Pacific Business Development (SPBD) of this office here in Bua, to empower the women in Bua,
office in Nabouwalu, which sits on a hilltop, overlooking the educating them through your respective program to change
sparkling blue ocean was opened on 21 December 2022, will their mindsets in terms of development from their own homes
provide easier access to 20 SPBD Centres in the area and their to perhaps eradicate the looming poverty within the province
members. of Bua.”
SPBD General Manager, Elrico Munoz, expressed the Manueli continued, “In the Northern Division, it is clear that
importance of having a branch based in Nabouwalu, where from the three provinces, Cakaudrove, Bua, and Macuata, Bua
SPBD has almost 300 members. is still the underdeveloped province, so I thank SPBD for taking
“Before we opened this office, all of these areas were covered the initiative to help the women here in Bua, because we see
by our Labasa office. Usually it takes the members three hours the women as the backbone of every family. We see the women
to travel to Labasa and three hours back, which can be a whole as the main development partners in the rural communities;
day wasted,” Munoz said at the opening. that is evident, as they are the ones that carried development
He says SPBD remains committed to serving its members, forward at the community level.”
even in remote villages through weekly visits. “It’s actually us The opening was also an opportunity to present some of the
bringing the office to their village, there are no other financial ladies with the SPBD financial booklet.
institutions who do that.” Munoz said, “Unlike any other financial education program,
The opening of the new office brought smiles to the faces our SPBD financial education program is an ongoing process.
of the nearby Centre Chiefs as they gathered for the official Unlike any other financial program, where you need to receipt
opening of the branch. For Sera Naibosanatabe, the opening of once in a while, in our case, you already have the resource with
an office closer to her village is a welcome feeling. you through financial integration facilitating,” he said.
“We live in a really remote village, and transport can be a real Anil Senewiratne, Head of Marketing at Courts and SPBD’s
issue for us. When it was in Labasa, we would have to wake sponsoring partner, agrees, saying the financial booklet could
up really early in the morning to catch the bus, and we would be the “microfinance bible.”
reach there by midday,” Naibosanatabe said. Senewiratne said, “There are two things you can do when you
The bubbly entrepreneur described how having an office are starting a business: the first is to use your skill set, and the
closer to home would benefit her. “This makes things easier second is to have financial literacy. This financial booklet is very
because whenever I have any questions regarding my loan important, because it outlines so many things very clearly that
or need help with any of my business decisions, I can travel you can refer to when you have forgotten anything, or even in
down to Nabouwalu and won’t need to use up half the day just your financial evaluation.”
travelling to Labasa.” The financial booklet includes records for members to input
SPBD has come a long way since its inception, operating their cash flows, policies, guidelines, and tips for members they
from a hotel room in 2010 and establishing their first office and can review during centre meetings.
centre 30 minutes outside of Suva, in the village of Kalokolevu.
With the opening
of the Nabouwalu
office, SPBD says “all
the provinces of the
Northern Division are
extensively covered
within our outreach.”
The Provincial
Administrator (PA) for
Bua, Jone Manueli,
was chief guest at the
opening, and stressed
the importance of
this program for
the women in Bua
during his keynote
speech, noting
“The establishment At the opening of the SPBD Nabouwalu office: (seated on top, L-R) Anil Senewiratne, Head of Marketing at Courts; Provincial Adminis-
trator for Bua and Chief Guest, Jone Manueli; and SPBD General Manager Elrico Munoz, with members of SPBD Nabouwalu.

26 Islands Business, January 2023
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