Economic Opportunities for Women in the Pacific - Case - IFC

FJD$2,000 training assistance per each of three semesters
for training (rather than the previous maximum financial
assistance).
This will not cover the full Diploma tuition fees at the
Academy or with some other training institutions. The
shortfall for the Diploma program will be FJD$2,469 as the
majority of her local students still attain full funding from
FNPF for the education costs and cannot afford any cash
contribution. Also, none of the Certificate courses will be
funded, for example a Certificate in Massage Therapy costs
FJD$650.
The FNPF had asked all schools to submit their courses
and fee structures to them. They then evaluated them and
released their decisions. When they printed it out, it said
that all short courses – to gain FNPF funding for members
– had to be over 90 hours. But SPABT’s highest one is 70
hours.
Debra thinks FNPF are trying to retain some of their
members’ funds by only funding courses that lead to a job,
not short courses that don’t lead to a job. However, SPABT
has a 95 percent post graduation employment rate.
For the students, it is possible that they may be able to
borrow from Bank of Baroda (less commercially oriented
than other banks, and more focused on the local people).
However the students would still have to own their home
to use as an asset to get the funding. Maybe Indo-Fijian
students may own homes, but the Fijians would be unlikely
to. Debra knows of one student who has obtained the
funding. For SPABT, they will need to look for international
students, and make the training available overseas.
Debra says “This new policy will create big challenges for
our company with an obvious reduction in student intake
due to money restraints, less job prospects, and higher
unemployment for the young women in Fiji, and stalled Spa
recruitment due to unskilled local women. I am afraid this
will also mean a drop in standards for our industry which
has taken me so long to build and establish.”
The average wage in Fiji is only around FJD$3 per hour,
hence it is of great concern when locals cannot afford cash
for school tuition fees.
Next Steps Debra is planning to build Senikai Spa Village
from early 2010. She says, “This will be our largest project,
three acres with 10–15 treatment bures all built above
water within the ecological mangroves, and with personal
plunge or mud pools.” She will establish a nursery café
within the grounds and a boutique retailing Fijian artifacts.
It has been her dream project for three years.
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It will be located 5 minutes from Denarau Island which
hosts 6 major 5 star hotels including Sheraton, Sofitel,
Hilton, and Radisson. It will be open 7am to 11pm catering
to transit tourists for both airport and island resorts. It
will be “a Spa haven offering culture, relaxation and
convenience.”
Next to the Spa Village, Debra also plans to build office
facilities. It will house their administration offices, a
purpose-built training school, a purpose-built laboratory
and factory for the production of her beauty product line
‘Essence of Viti’ (EOV).
Debra is also planning to expand the export of their
in-house EOV skin and body care range through 2009.
Their internationally-based clients quickly requested
what originally began as a product for use in the schools
and spas. In November 2008 they launched EOV in New
Zealand. They also plan to launch in Australia in 2010.
Senikai Spa will expand on their spa services offered
through Accor Hotels in Fiji. They currently operate spa
services in Novotel and Mercure Nadi, and recently opened
Novotel Suva Lami Bay. “As Accor is fast becoming one
of the largest corporate branding of a hotel in Fiji, we are
proud to be associated with them,” she says.
To finance the expansions, and in particular the Spa Village,
Debra has needed to seek finance offshore. Of the most
recent April 2009 coup, she says, “I do not feel that coups
in Fiji result in long term disruption in our industry, it is
generally short term. Fiji is known for its passive nature
therefore tourism bounces back very quickly. A minority of
tourists may listen to the politics and media coverage, but
the majority still travel regardless of our politics.
“The concern at this time is the global effects and lack of
commercial bank interest. Hence our proposed investors,
which I hope to have in place by year end 2009. We are still
keen to move forward with our developments.”