Page 38 - Islands Business March 2023

SPBD SPBD

SPBD: Where every day is women’s day

As women across the Pacific reflected on International want to be like mum. So it is having an impact on the next
Women’s Day recently, we asked two SPBD leaders about the generation.”
importance of women’s empowerment at the organisation. Kelekis says empowerment extends to the SPBD team as
“Women’s empowerment is part and parcel of what we do,” well.
says SPBD Chief Operating Officer, Polly Kelekis. “We’re empowering our women and staff members. Women
“Helping women start and build businesses, being there to are well represented in our senior management team,
encourage them, giving them the training, all helps build their amongst general managers across the region. For example,
confidence which leads to the empowerment piece of it. I our GM in Tonga started out in the back office; then she had
have seen the change with women who are new members ver- the opportunity to go and help launch SPBD in Vanuatu. Six
sus older or existing members, who are more engaged, have years later, she’s the GM. But she started in the back office
suggestions for improvements; you can tell they are more like me.”
confident in what they are doing. SPBD Fiji General Manager, Elrico Munoz agrees, saying the
“You see it in the pride when they are introducing them- strategy of increasing women’s inclusion across the economy
selves, and giving tours of their villages and businesses. And is empowering in a number of respects.
we hear it from so many members, they are empowered to “For us, it is not just about financial inclusion. It is about
earn their own income, contribute to their families. We see being included in the whole economic system,” Munoz says.
women who have mothers who are businesswomen, and they “It means being able to contribute to family decisions and
the coffers of the whole household. It is about not just being
dependent on whoever is the head of the family.
“And they are also able to support the other women at
their Centre and make an impact in their community. Many
of our members have developed their leadership skills and
they have become community leaders, they have been able
to influence how the village addresses issues such as domestic
violence.
“The women’s groups are not only for loans and savings.
They actually share their personal problems, their experi-
ences and they are able to band together and say, ‘this is not
right’.”

Frequently asked questions

My family and relatives do not always respect my stock
and business and take things for themselves without asking.
What can I do?
This is a common problem faced by many SPBD
members, especially those running canteens and food-
based businesses.
You can try clearly explaining to your family what positive
contribution the business you are running is making to your
household, so they understand why it is important to run it
as professionally as possible.
For example, if you explain that you were able to use your
profits to buy school uniforms or fix part of your home,
it might help them understand that when they take your
stock, you don’t have as much to sell and your profits will
drop.
Some of our members make sure their stock is also kept
in a secure, locked place, so they can control access.

SPBD General Manager, Elrico Munoz with members, during a Centre visit.

38 Islands Business, March 2023
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