1.PDA - Participative Democracy & Accountability; 2018- 2021
2. OMBE - Oceania Men & Boys Engage; 2019- 2022
It was in the interest of Transcend Oceania’s vision for Non- Violence and JustPeace in Oceania that the OMBE program was designed as TO’s flagship program that seeks to contribute to Gender Justice and Equality as a fundamental human right and necessary foundation for a just, peaceful, secure and sustainable world. For the Oceania Men and Boys Engage (OMBE) Programme, training is central in empowering men and boys to understand and work on issues of Violence against women, girls and vulnerable members either as trainers of fellow men and boys or as community-based advocate and active bystander.
Sensitization Training for 2021
Men and boys who have been reached and mobilized are taken through an eye-opening session on gender, masculinity and non-violence. A sensitisation training takes five- seven days focusing on facts about the prevalence of Violence and toxic masculinity, basic concepts, the construction of masculinities and femininities, men as perpetrators of and actors against violence, and a simple follow-up action plan.
Highlights from the Sensitization
The Oceania Men and Boys Engage program activity known as the Gender, Masculinity and Non -Violence training was held from the 19th -23rd of April at the Pearl Resort. The training was attended by a total of 35 male participants from the Central/Eastern Division, inclusive of the organizational, faith based and provincial levels, namely the Naitasiri, Tailevu, Rewa, Serua, Namosi, Lau, Lomaiviti and Kadavu.
The government was represented by the Fiji Military Forces, the Fiji Police Force and the Ministry of Women, Children and poverty alleviation. Other participants from faith- based organizations and other NGOs were represented by the Alliance for Future generation, the Methodist Church, Sanatan Fiji, Catholic Church, National Rugby League and Men’s Empowerment Network. 86% of the participants were between the ages of 17-40 years and 11% were between the ages of 43-50 years.
Oceania Men and Boys Engage (OMBE) Program Launch
The launch was held at the Pearl Resort on the 19th of April in which the Minister for Women, Children and Poverty Alleviation, Mereseini Vuniwaqa was the Chief Guest. In her speech, the Honorable Minister, reiterated the vitality of including men as allies to the fulfillment of the sustainable development goal 5, which is the achievement of gender equality and the empowerment of all women and girls.
“The understanding and effective participation and contribution of men and boys is absolutely critical,” said Vuniwaqa. The opening was followed by Question-and-Answer session which was one of the highlights of the 5 days Gender, Masculinity and Non-Violence Training. Questions were asked about what the ministry was doing with regards to religious perspectives, the future of addressing the issue of violence against women and girls, and the patriarchal society where man have more privileges than women and girls. Honorable Vuniwaqa encouraged the men and boys that many of them are born into the system and as male advocates they have a great role to play.
She said, “One element that is missing in the equation are man and boys standing with us to talk about the issue with the same passion, same commitment with the same purpose.”
“Changing the statistics is all about changing mindsets,” she added. Honorable Vuniwaqa affirmed the OMBE Preventative intervention which is targeted at behavioral and attitudinal change. Through this sensitization training men and boys can understand the social construction of Gender as a major contributing factor to toxic masculinity. They can understand how Patriarchy is a major cause of inequality between men and women and find ways to address it. Challenge cultural and religious beliefs that view and treat women and men as inferior and become active bystanders in speaking out and advocating for Women and Girls dignity, rights, safety and security.
The five-day program blended learning and life experiences very well which we found was very helpful and meaningful for all participants during the process.
Moving Forward
Due to COVID-19 restrictions, another 2 -3 days has been planned for the coming months to complete the Sensitization package for the 35 men and boys that were trained earlier this year. Currently the OMBE men and boys were tasked to continue their advocacy work on social media platforms and supporting the Prevention and Reduction of violence against Women, girls and other vulnerable members of society in their various sectors and communities. Keep a lookout for some advocacy videos and posts at TO’s Facebook page for more updates on the OMBE advocacy action and stories.
3. BJCCEC - Building Justpeace communities in changing environment & climate; 2020- 2022
Human mobility is a pressing issue for Fiji already today. Several villages affected by sea-level rise and coastal erosion have relocated to higher ground, others are currently in the process of relocation, and many more are preparing for it. In Fiji the government, civil society and international donors are well advanced in addressing the issue of climate change-induced relocation; in this regard Fiji is an international forerunner. Some peacebuilding NGOs, include Transcend Oceania are currently engaged in projects working together with relocating communities. Transcend Oceania is currently involved in the following communities;
- Vunidogoloa Village
- Naviavia
- Navukavu
- Vunisavisavi
For more information on this project you can visit; https://toda.org/news-and-announcements/2020/workshop-comparative-learning-climate-change-relocation-and-peacebuilding-in-fiji.html
4. TIPR - Trauma- Informed preparedness & resilience; 2020- 2021
Trauma-informed preparedness & resilience project recognize a broader recovery goals and are generally aimed at developing skills such as problem solving, communication and social skills, building self-esteem and self-efficacy, creating and facilitating social connections and participation , and implementing interventions which target the goals of safety, justice and dignity using the strengths of the individual, family and community.
Objectives:
- To advance the health, wellbeing and human rights of people from disaster and violent backgrounds, or who have experienced other traumatic events, to learn from and share lessons learned for healing recovery and preparedness
- Accountability and learning that violence is unacceptable, violation of human rights regardless of the perpetrator or the purposes for which is used and causes impacts.
- To support recovery from the harm inflicted, provide services that support and inform clients to rebuild their lives and foster self-determination, productivity and good decision making.
5. Partner Projects;
a. GPPAC – Global Partnership for the prevention of armed conflict; 2020- 2021
b. SthPc – Shift the Power Coalition; 6 months