Growing up in the Vatukoula Gold Mines community, Fulori Yabakivou made sure her six children would succeed in life.
The 65-year-old from Nakorosule in Naitasiri reminisced about the hardships she and her children faced when her husband, Sanaila Yabakivou, a former miner, passed away on December 1, 2000.
Ms. Yabakivou recalled that due to financial difficulties, her children had only tea and cassava to eat at home.
“That was our only means of survival,” she said. “And the only thing we could do was pray.”
She would remind her children that even though their father was no longer with them, they had the Lord Almighty by their side.
“My husband and I both grew up in the Vatukoula Gold Mines community. Our fathers were miners. We would share whatever food we had. Sometimes we had to sell rourou to buy sugar and kerosene from the supermarket.”
“I had to make sure my children went to school. Eventually, my eldest son finished school and started working, as did my daughter. Now my children are married and working, and I live alone in the company quarters in Vatukoula.”
When the payout was announced in the 2024-2025 National Budget, Ms. Yabakivou asked her children what they wanted to do with the money.
“My eldest son said, ‘Mum, that is yours and it’s enough for you.’ But I wanted to hear their opinions because their dad was no longer with us.”