The Women in Leadership Samoa Project in partnership with Fatuaiupu Consult – Consultant Maulolo Tavita Amosa have conducted two trainings for women candidates in preparations for the 2021 Samoa General elections.
The trainings focused on Language of Communication and Developing Effective Campaign Strategy.
Twenty-three women registered to contest the elections and were accepted by the Office of Electoral Commissioner.
Candidate for Vaa o Fonoti, Taumainamoe Aufui Tuimalatu said she has benefitted a lot from the trainings.
“From this course, my knowledge of the Samoan culture has improved in terms of the “faasinomaga concept” in its traditional sense and meaning. I have come to understand certain idioms and proverbs, how they should be used properly and correctly as well as its true meaning. Through this training, I have built the confidence to develop a campaign speech as a candidate for my constituency using the richness of our Samoan language to relay a message and gain the attention of the audience about my quest.”
In the lead up to the Nomination of Candidates for the 2021 General Election, several trainings were held in the hope of inspiring more women to become potential candidates and to join the quest of promoting women’s participation in parliament.
Candidate for Aana Alofi 2, Lolomatauama Eseta Faalata Mataituli said the training has been very informative and helpful in terms of preparing for the elections.
“The atmosphere and the positive vibe we have been receiving from the trainer and the team goes a long way for me and the rest of my fellow female candidates. The training itself is very informative and quite relevant especially as we only have four (4) months left before the General Election in April 2021. Part of my learning is, the training has given me the encouragement that I need to learn new things and to be creative with my campaign strategy but at the same time uphold the law as one of the candidates. At the same time be able to tackle the issues within our districts by formulating strategies to address those issues”.
The programme is recognised by the Samoa Qualification Authority as a non-formal training. The course is supported by the Women in Leadership in Samoa (WILS) Project, a three-year project implemented jointly by United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) and UN Women with funding from the Australian Government in partnership with the Government of Samoa.