Rise Beyond the Reef
InterContinental Fiji Golf Resort & Spa has announced a partnership with Rise Beyond the Reef to expand the admirable work that the NGO does to bridge the divide between remote communities, government and the private sector, sustainably creating a better world for women and children. Through this partnership, our guests can select high-quality, completely sustainable, hand-made arts and crafts for their events and weddings or take home a little piece of Fiji that will leave lasting memories and a yearning to return.
As part of the partnership, InterContinental Fiji Golf Resort & Spa will use Rise Beyond the Reef products on every tabletop of the award-winning Navo Signature Restaurant, from table décor and centrepieces to hand-carved shell knives and shells from their Waitui Collection. Guests will be able to purchase all the tabletop items either at the Restaurant itself or in the lobby so that they can take a part of the Fijian community home with them.
The Resort will also promote Rise Beyond the Reef products to all Weddings, Events and Conferencing customers so that they can use products handcrafted by local artisans such as hand-woven mats, ornaments, accessories, delegate packs, table décor and wedding party favours for their special event.
InterContinental Fiji Golf Resort & Spa will feature Rise Beyond the Reef products across all digital channels, and social media platforms and all resort guests receive a 15% discount when purchasing products on the Rise Beyond the Reef website by adding BULAIHG at checkout.
Coming together to inspire the community, Rise Beyond the Reef has formed a joint-venture initiative with some of Fiji’s indigenous villages. In a shared effort to bridge the divide between remote communities and the private sector in the South Pacific, they work to create a better world for women and children that is sustainable. Working with 31 remote communities throughout Fiji who display distinct artisan skills through fine and delicate work on arts and crafts, their sustainable products are sourced from natural materials.
Rise Beyond the Reef’s Traditional Contemporary Arts & Crafts Income-Generating Program has four goals for women in rural Fiji. First, women are given opportunities to develop leadership skills. Second, women crafters earn much-needed income Third, we help develop regional and international markets for these goods, and last (but not least), the program helps preserve and promote traditional arts and crafts skills.
The value of empowering women and girls is one of the most important lessons learned over the last few decades, both by academic researchers and donor organizations. Empowerment means providing women and girls with education, skills, and income-earning opportunities beyond those available to them at home and in traditional male-dominated cultures. When women and girls have access to education and sustainable income outside the home, they are better able to withstand many of the abuses typical of many patriarchal societies. A woman with her own income is more likely to stand up to physical and sexual abuse, for example, and even a modest income can help a woman free her family from extreme poverty. Finally, educated rural women who have opportunities available to them choose to have smaller families and invest more in health and education for their children, especially for their daughters who may not have been educated in the past. Finally, a higher proportion of women’s incomes stay in the community and help improve life for men, women and children alike.