MEET AKAPUSI TUMATE OF YADRANA, LAKEBA, LAU

Spending years in the city being a barrow boy is not easy but that's what Akapusi Tumate Junior, 18, does for a living.
Akapusi is originally from Yadrana, Lakeba, Lau.
"I attended Uluiqalau Primary School and spent my secondary school years attending Ratu Finau Secondary School," he said last week.
Akapusi dropped out of school when in Form Five and aged 16.
He said he found school boring compared to staying at home with friends.
"Life was good staying in the village, especially having friends of the same age," he said.
"I found that going to school was no use since it was more fun being with my friends and I didn't have to do homework."
He said while in school he wanted to become a primary school teacher to help his parents and his three younger brothers.
When he left school, he helped his father planting cassava, taro, yaqona and vegetables.
As the eldest child in the family, his parents had great plans for him.
"When I approached my parents, telling them I no longer wanted to be in school, they said no.
"They told me to continue going to school.
"But peer pressure was so strong that I continued to stay out of school and started livng away from home
"I came to Suva without letting my parents know about it.
"They somehow found out that I was staying in Suva with one of my father's brother."
Akapusi said the idea of being a barrow boy came from his uncle who encouraged him to do something useful during the day instead of staying at home.
He said if the job went well he got $60 a day.
The money he earns, helps him set food on the table to feed the 10 people he's staying with in Delainavesi.
But earning cent is a competition with other like-minded young people.
"There are times when I go through difficulties but they allow me to discover new things in life," he said.
"Without patience and perseverance nothing can be achieved.
"They are the two keys in life that keep me going. To my brothers and sisters out there, try and finish your school and achieve your goals in order to be successful in life.
"There is nothing easy in this world, it requires a lot of sacrifices to be able to sail in a calm sea.
"Listen to your parents for their instructions are the best teachings in the world today."

Adapted from Fijitimes Online

MEET JOELI LEWAICEI OF WAILEVU, TUNULOA, CAKAUDROVE

AT the age of 23, Joeli Lewaicei is a big-time yaqona farmer and middleman in the province of Cakaudrove in Vanua Levu.
He sells on average, 200 to 300 kilograms of yaqona every week to markets in Viti Levu.
The lad of Wailevu Village by the Natewa Bay in the district of Tunuloa has a 20-acre farm where he plants yaqona and dalo.
"I have been a supplier for more than four years now.
"I buy yaqona from farmers in surrounding villages and sell it to markets in Viti Levu through my partner at Nadi market.
"Apart from buying yaqona from farmers, I also get my own supply from the farm and send across to my business partner in Nadi who is also from the village," Joeli said.
He said he could send one tonne of yaqona a month and earn very good money.
In a week, Joeli can earn about $6000 from selling 200kg to 300kg of yaqona at $28 to $30 a kilo of waka or lewena.
"It is good money and I have orders from clients in Savusavu and Labasa.
"I sell at a very cheap price so I think that contributes to the good earnings I receive in a week."
There are some buyers he calls "trusted clients" to whom he sends yaqona by courier and the clients deposit his money in his bank account.
"Most of my clients are in Labasa and Suva but most of my supply goes to my partner at Nadi market who we started the farm together in the village.
"We used to be unemployed but after we started our farm and decided that one of us go to Nadi to sell our yaqona to the markets in Viti Levu, we have seen our business grow each day."
After seeing their business thrive, Joeli believes there is no reason for youths in villages not to be without work and money.
"We have a lot of land in the village and if youths are going to the urban centres to look for a job, I believe they are being misled because the land offers more money then white collar jobs.
"Even people with white collar jobs come and ask for small loans from me.
"That speaks much of how rich the land is and even at this young age, I have started my savings.
"Once I have saved enough, I plan on returning to continue my studies at tertiary school."
Joeli said without the support and advice of the Ministry of Youth, his business would not be as successful as it is today.
"They encouraged me to start my own farm and make it bigger.
"They showed me how I could turn it into a successful business with my partner in Nadi and I owe the ministry a great deal for their help and advice."
For now, Joeli's yaqona farm and middleman business is earning him good money.
But as everyone else in the business know, it will require some hard work from the start before you can enjoy.
No doubt he has done the hard work and is now reaping the fruits of his labour.
Joeli is a good example to all young men in the village with land but nothing to do.
There is money in the land but first you have to work hard before you can get it.

Adapted from Fijitimes Online

MEET VULI KAU OF SALIA, NAYAU, LAU

BEING strapped to his grandmother's back while she climbed for safety during Cyclone Meli in 1979 was some-what a miracle for 30-year old Aca Gauna Vuli Kau who administers the Disaster Management Programme for Fiji Red Cross Society.

Originally from Salia Village on the island of Nayau, Vuli Gauna as he is commonly known experienced first-hand the destruction and fury of Cyclone Meli when he was only two years old.

Even at that tender age, most people would not remember what happened to them.

For Vuli, he was fortunate to have his grandmother relate the events of the natural disaster that changed the life of people on Nayau. However, Vuli's interesting upbringing is another fascinating phase of his life and the foundation which shaped his values and principles.

Born on May 18, 1977 in Suva, Vuli is the second of six children and they lived a typical village life where nothing was ever easy.

His mother was a housewife and his father was an average villager who cut copra to put food on the table.

However, food for them was plain tavioka and tea without sugar most times.

At that time, sugar was hard to get because there was a shortage or it was too expensive. He said being the second eldest he was left with the responsibility of caring for his two young sisters when his father went to the plantation or when his mother went fishing.

"In most families, the eldest or youngest child is always considered the family favourite and being the second eldest meant shouldering the responsibilities of the eldest child," Vuli said.

"I was not strong physically or tall.

"By contrast, I was a slim, short and weak boy.

I was not athletic and did not go with my father to the plantation because I could not hold the knife with a steady hand.

"I was what they called malai or weak but I didn't mind. My older brother was strong and favoured and I was like a girl in the family.

"I had to shoulder the responsibility of looking after my two sisters when my parents were away.

"I had to wake up in the morning to wash the pots and dishes, a chore for girls and women but I was given the task of washing the pots in the morning.

"I guess at that stage of my life, I learnt life's values and responsibilities."

Vuli moved to Suva in 1990 to attend secondary school and the changing lifestyle was a big challenge for him.

The cultural shock was almost too much for him but he managed to complete Form Six.

Several factors contributed to Vuli not doing well in Form Six, including behavioural change but by chance, he signed up to work as a volunteer for the Fiji Red Cross Society.

He worked his way up the ladder to where he is today and now, well established in his line of work, Vuli said he could not have asked for a better calling in life. His past experience and the adversity of village life have made him realise how life can suddenly become meaningful and full of hope for a bright future.

Adapted from Fijitimes Online

MEET LEBA BALECA OF LOMAI, NAITASIRI

The start of a new academic year is upon us as thousands of students eagerly return to school.
But while most children were enjoying what the holidays had to offer, one lass was hard at work in the capital city.
Right on the busy thoroughfare of Scott Street, in central Suva, sat a keen young girl,
Leba Kelera Lusia Baleca, 10, worked hard to earn enough money to enable her to buy her stationery before school started yesterday.
Leba, who hails from Lomai Village, in Naitasiri, was selling vutu (Barringtonia nuts) to earn money.
The smiling elfin said she was employed by another woman who paid her to sell the nuts at the market.
She makes $100 a day but is paid $8 a day for her efforts.
Her father was employed as a security guard but now stays home while her mother sells juice at the market to help support them.
The family used to rent a house in Nakasi for $60 a month but they faced financial problems and the landlord ordered them out.
They then moved from Nakasi to Delainavesi.
Leba, who was a Class Four student of St Joseph the Worker Primary School at Nine Miles, in Nasinu, did not complete Class Four because after moving to Delainavesi, her family simply could afford to pay her bus fares.
She recalls when she was at school how her friends tease her because she was the only one in the class who had not paid her fees.
"It was not easy being teased by my friends, at times I just wished they would understand my situation," she said.
Going to school every day was like a nightmare she had to tolerate.
She said at times she went to school without lunch and was always grateful when her class teacher bought food for her.
"For four years I have been going to school bare foot and it's really bad on rainy days for I get cold," she said.
When her family moved to Delainavesi, the water meter to the home they moved into had been disconnected because the previous tenant had not paid the bill.
"We used to borrow water from our neighbour before we could earn enough to pay the bill so we could get water connected again.
"My father plants root crops and vegetables around our home for us and for it be sold at the market," she said.
"Being the third child in a family of four, Leba thought she should do something to help her parents.
With the financial difficulties the family faced, Leba's two older siblings were forced to drop out of school and get married at a young age, but they always support the family.
"At times I would ask my mother if I could go back to school for I do not want to end up like my older siblings," she said.
The family hopes a relief agency gives them help so Leba can attend a school in her new neighbourhood. She admits her greatest mentor was her father.
She recalls how her dad would come home late at night and leave very early in the morning to go to work, trying to make sure that he earned enough to support his family.
Her ambition is to be a primary school teacher.
"The reason why I chose this career is because I will be able to help unfortunate children just like me," she said.
She said her parents worked hard to earn enough so they could buy a kerosene stove as they were still cooking on open fires.
"Life is not easy but I'm thankful that my parents are working extra hard to give me a better life.
"My mother sells juice in the market for 20cents a cup and earns $45 a day but since there are a lot of rainy days she's only earning $10 a day. I'm happy that even though I'm not earning much I'm doing something worthwhile." Leba advises teenagers facing a similar tough life to never lose hope and to always try not to depend too much on one's parents.
"Do something worthwhile during school holidays instead of wasting money," she says.
She said children should be thankful for whatever their parents can afford to give them and to never take parents for granted.

Adapted from Fijitimes Online

MEET EMIRITA KOROI OF WAILEVU, TAVUKI KADAVU

When Emirita Koroi talks about crime, you can tell she feels strongly about it.
Her conviction is hardly surprising in view of the fact that her father, acting Assistant Superintendent of Police, Eparama Waqa, is a career police officer.
The Class Six student had no qualms admitting she is motivated by the work her father and his colleagues do every day in trying to keep society safe from criminals.
"I admire his (her father's) work in trying to prevent crime to make Fiji a better place to live in," Emirita said.
That was why, when asked to speak on crime at Crime Prevention Week in November, the Deenbandhoo Primary School student knew it would be from the heart.
In her talk, the 11-year-old defined crime as "something which is against the law and which people are punished for".
Said Emirita, whose father is originally from Wailevu Village in Kadavu: "Crime is a social problem and has been part of all societies. No society is crime free, as people commit all types of crime. Due to these social problems we are lucky we have the police to look after us and help the communities enjoy their lives without being targets of crime."
Fiji is one of the more developed of the Pacific economies but the increasing crime rate would not only affect society but the economy as a whole.
"Government can help reduce crime if it provides a lot of employment, which will also improve our standard of living," Emirita said.
She said we were fortunate the police, court and prison were functioning.
"They have a system which helps to take criminals to court or to prison."
She said it was also our civic duty as members of the public to help in providing information to the police, which would make Fiji a safer place to live in.
A good family unit also helped reduce crime, Emirita said.
The middle child in a family of three, she has an older brother Ulaiasi Koroi, who is a Form Three student of Indian College and a younger sister, Arieta Salacakau Koroi, who also attends Deenbandhoo.
Their mother, Penina Waqa, hails from Kilikoso, Macuata.
Born in Labasa and having lived there until last year, Emirita describes the town as a quiet neighbourhood.
She finds the high rate of crime in Suva quite a contrast.
The school she attends is proactive about the effect of crime on youngsters. Head teacher Kirath Singh said the school often invites speakers from the St Giles psychiatric hospital to educate students on the effects of marijuana.
The school has also formed an awareness program involving parents.
"This is to inform the parents on how to help prevent crime," Mr Singh said.

Adapted from Fijitimes Online

NAMAU'S COCOA IS GOOD NEWS FOR YOUTHS BY REDUCING RURAL TO URBAN MIGRATION

NAMAU's cocoa farmers say the market price of their cocoa beans are too low. One kilogram of cocoa beans costs $5.

This, said Tevita Niumou, is very cheap considering the process followed to extract cocoa beans, and the fact that it is pure cocoa. "The market price before was 70 cents a kg and farmers had to transport cocoa beans all the way to Suva to sell the cocoa beans," he said.

He said even though there were thousands of cocoa trees growing in the village, farmers were not getting the proper revenue they needed. "Each tree produces enough cocoa to fill a one kg bag," he said.

"We need to up our sale price to a satisfactory level," he said. He said plans to construct the first chocolate factory in Korovou and in Fiji was their biggest hope for the village in terms of cash revenue. "Once the factory is established we would be able to control our selling price at $25 a kg," he said.

He said the village needed a lot of change and farmers needed the extra cash for their families and the village. "All we can do now is continue with what we're doing and pray for assistance to quicken the plans to construct the factory," he said.

Tevita said the village did not want their produce to be passed through a middle-man and preferred to do everything on their own.

Adapted from the Fijitimes.com

COCOA PRODUCTION SHOULD INSPIRE OUR FIJIAN YOUTH

THE cocoa plant has inspired women to experiment in the kitchen. So much so that adding cocoa to their dishes and drinks for that unique flavour has almost become habit, a temptation hard to resist.

For instance, the chances of one receiving a chilled chocolate shake are far greater. Women and young girls of Namau in Tailevu are adding the cocoa ingredient to the local Fijian food like tavioka yaca (Fijian bread cooked with cassava) as well as cakes and soft drinks.

The new industry, having women are better utilising their skills in the kitchen. But this time they are adding a bit of cocoa to the recipe. Cocoa farming is the big talk in Tailevu now and at a recent Tailevu Provincial meeting a variety of cakes were served at tea time, all of which were blended with varying quantities of cocoa. These cakes were baked by women of Namau.

Namau villager Nanise Niuvou is one of the women who occasionally adds cocoa to her baking. The mother of four is 42 years old and the wife of cocoa farm manager Tevita Niuvou. She said she was also selling cocoa chocolate lollies, which sold like hot cakes at the village.

"Children love it and adults are buying them in the numbers for chaser during grog (kava) sessions," she said, smiling. Nanise's family said finding the perfect food source to blend with cocoa was challenging. In baking though, steady progress was being made.

At Namau village, fermenting cocoa beans is normally the job for the men and women would then afterwards taste and determine the quality of the cocoa produce. Men, they say, did not have very good taste buds and agreed to anything regarding the quality of the cocoa. So the task of tasting the cocoa after fermentation was left to the women. They had the honour of rating the quality of cocoa.

Nanise and her family say maintaining and producing cocoa on the farm was challenging and sometimes women would go out with the men to harvest cocoa pods from the trees. However, Nanise, like her husband, believes that producing cocoa will one day benefit their village in the near future.

And this, she says, keeps her going despite the hard work involved.

Adapted from the Fijitimes.com