“Before I took
part in Sistas Savve, I was afraid to speak up. But now I know that I’m free to
talk to anybody.” Tina Ronson is 28 years old and the mother of two children –
Wisdom and Zedey. She was a part of the Sistas Savve pilot programme, which ran
in 2011 and worked with Kofiloko Community in Honiara Solomon Islands .
She gave birth to her youngest child, Zedey, during the 10-week programme, but
returned to the training sessions only three days later. She even named Zedey
after a Sistas Savve staff member.
Tina has no doubt that Sistas Savve has
had a big impact on her life. Not just on herself, but on her children,
parents, and community. Following the training, Tina has found the strength to
leave an abusive relationship, and is now supporting her children and parents
with the income she makes weaving baskets and making banana chips – two skills
she learned during the course of the programme. “I sell the baskets for
SI$40-50 (NZ$7), and bags of banana chips for $SI12 (NZ$2) around my community
” Tina says. “If it weren’t for Sistas Savve, I would look only to my
prayers for comfort.”
Tina’s
story is a concrete example of how empowering a young women, while
creating spillover effects for her family and community, has the ability to
catalyze sustainable business opportunities in developing countries.
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