Australian Foreign Minister and Minister for Women visits the House of Sarah

Volunteer Community Activist Saiasi Nabuta says that the visit of the Australian Foreign Minister and Minister for Women Marise Payne’s to the House of Sarah at the Moana Anglican Services Training Centre in Suva today was an important event for them as they work with victims of gender based violence.

Payne met with volunteer community activists, the first responders to Gender Based Violence victims and survivors and members of the Christian Talanoa Network, to have discussions on the prevention of Gender-Based Violence.

Nabuta says that the major challenges that they face in advocating gender based violence are the mental state that victims come with to try and go through counseling with them.

Chairperson for the House of Sarah, Reverend Sereima Lomaloma also spoke about a project known as Preventing Violence Against Women in Fiji’s Faith Settings and how it promotes safe home, safe church, and safe community.

Reverend Lomaloma also mentioned that the project is about how the leaders, members and allies of the Church can come together to prevent violence against women.

She says it describes a process of community mobilization which is an approach that engages everyone in living the faith based values of Justice, Peace and Dignity.

This year, they are working together with the Council of Churches to have this project in Tonga and Samoa to address issues on gender based violence.

‘The House of Sarah’, is a faith based organization of the Anglican Church and it provides a “listening ear’, a helping hand and a warm heart” to victims and survivors of gender-based violence. Besides working with women it has also extended its horizon to working with the young people in the Anglican Church.

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