Twenty women in Samoa have been singled out for special mention at a ceremony marking women's empowerment.
The women are from the Nofotane Project, a two-year programme aimed at upskilling women who have married into villages where they no longer have direct family support.
Research from Samoa Victim Support shows these women, who are known as nofotane, are more prone to domestic violence and abuse.
UN Women Samoa's Papali'i Mele Mauala'ivao said the project aimed to economically empower nofotane, help them contribute to their communities and gain a sense of pride.
Papali'i said 5000 women were trained, 500 new entrepreneurs established and 237 villages were reached.
She said a ceremony was held today to mark the programme's end.
"Having the market where all the participants who had learned these skill-sets could bring the items that they'd made and to sell them, showing off what they'd learned, but also to recognise those twenty women who were the star earners," she said.
"I.e. the ones who had earned income over a thousand tala from what they'd been able to make."
Photo: Mele Mauala Caption: The women of the Nofotane project gathered on Friday for a ceremony marking the end of the project