Teaching women to turn skills into income, Kama shares journey

Despite financial struggles, 63-year-old Asinate Kama continues to travel between villages and provinces to conduct workshops, determined to share her skills and create opportunities for other women.

For Ms Kama, handicraft is more than a talent. It is a skill passed down by her mother, one that she has continued to develop over the years and now hopes to pass on to other women.

Ms Kama said her mother introduced her to the craft when she was young, sparking an interest that continued into her teenage years.

The 63-year-old said she has remained committed to developing her skills while also finding ways to teach others.

“My mother taught me this talent, and it is something I have grown fond of from a very young age,” she said.

What started as something learned at home has grown into a passion that she now wants to use to empower women in communities.

Taking the workshops to the women

One of Ms Kama’s biggest challenges is the cost of travelling to communities where she conducts workshops.

Despite the financial burden, she continues to make the journey because she believes women outside urban areas should also have access to training and opportunities.

“I have to pay $300, $400 from that village to go across to another village,” she said.

She said her work sometimes requires her to travel across provinces and islands, adding to the costs involved.

“I have to go across island to island and come back and majority of the time it really is costly for me,” Ms Kama said.

Despite these challenges, she remains determined to reach women who may otherwise be left out.

“Some of the women, they are left out and this is why regardless of my personal financial challenge, I still want to help make a change,” she said.

Turning skills into business

Ms Kama wants women to understand that their talents can become more than just hobbies.

Through workshops and training, she hopes women can learn how to develop, brand and eventually sell their products.

She has also taken part in programmes that helped women understand business development and branding.

“They teach the women how to do the project and their branding,” Ms Kama said.

Some of the women she has worked with have already started sharing and selling their products at markets and online.

For Ms Kama, seeing women turn their skills into income is one of the most rewarding parts of her work.

“To see these women turn what they have learnt in my workshops into a career is one of the most rewarding things to see for me,” she said.

Building her own business

While handicraft is not currently her main source of income, Ms Kama is also working towards expanding her own business.

She is hoping to venture into screen printing and already has some of the equipment needed.

“I’ve got everything here with me, and I have to buy a few more things so that I can get started,” she said.

Her goal is to continue developing her skills and eventually create a more sustainable source of income from her work.

Ms Kama said she wants to continue reaching communities and women outside the city.

Her vision is to create more opportunities for women to learn practical skills, develop their products and potentially turn their talents into businesses.

“I’m doing it alone and sometimes it's hard doing all of it alone,” she said.

But those challenges have not stopped her.

At 63, Ms Kama continues to learn, teach and travel, proving that determination and passion do not have an age limit.

For women who have a talent but are unsure whether to pursue it, Ms Kama encourages them not to give up.

“Regardless of how it goes just don't give up and keep on going,” she said.

For her, it is about more than making crafts. It is about sharing knowledge, creating opportunities and ensuring women are not left behind.