Last week a mother-of-five who overcame her husband’s physical and mental abuse to become an entrepreneur told her story with the aim of encouraging other women to in similar situations to do the same. 

Vilealava Mamoe was one of more than 50 women who took part in a workshop for the Samoa Victim Support Group's (S.V.S.G.) sustainable income generation project.

The project, spearheaded by the S.V.S.G. and funded by the European Union, has been providing livelihood training workshops for over 5,000 unemployed 'nofotane' women as part of an economic empowerment programme.

(Notofane women are those who choose to marry into their husbands’ villages and families - a decision which often leads to their economic and social marginalisation.)

The programme aims to increase their ability of these women to earn an income and achieve sustainable employment.

Close to 50 nofotane women from Faasaleleaga in Savaii at least week's workshop were just a sample of some of the women who had been supported by the project and, in turn, are now hoping to support others. 

Among the benefits listed by the women include improved self-esteem, a rise in domestic violence in their homes; their participation in family and community matters, and their contribution to the economy as earners of hand made and home grown products. 

Mrs. Mamoe from Tuasivi said that during the time when she was unemployed she had no means of support for herself and children.

“I used to tolerate the physical and the mental abuse from my husband, the demeaning words and the constant chasing away from the home, most of the time, while our children watched in silence,” she said.

The 54-year-old added that she did not want to be a burden to her family:

“I had nothing to support myself and my children with. I didn’t want to be a burden to my own family if I choose to return home.”   

Four years later, she transformed from a woman who felt dependent and hopeless into one with confidence and purpose in life. 

She says it took her strength and belief and a determination to overcome the stronghold that violence had asserted over her life. 

Through S.V.S.G.’s livelihood training she attended in 2017 she learnt how to sew and basic financial literacy, and she has not looked back since.  

The mother-of-five finally gathered the courage to leave a violent relationship; her children are all in school; and her business is thriving.   

When representatives from S.V.S.G. visited her home, she had piles of orders all around her - evidence of her flourishing business as a seamstress. 

She told the team with a smile, pointing at the pile saying, “this is all money", the S.V.S.G.'s President, Siliniu Lina Chang recalls. 

Mrs. Chang thanked the European Union and its Civil Society Support Programme for funding S.V.S.G.’s efforts to support the sustainable income generation of the self-employed nofotane women.

“Together, we are raising strong women of courage and perseverance, ending violence through their economic empowerment," she said.