The South Pacific Business Development (SPBD) last week awarded businesswoman Miriama Degei $7000 to help her in expanding her business.
A member of the SPBD’s Nakavu Centre based in Lautoka, Ms Degei runs a number of different businesses that include tie & dye, screen printing, weaving, and tailoring.
Her dedication and passion for her work were evident as she also took the time to provide training tips to youth and women on the art of tie & dye.
When COVID struck Fiji, Ms Degei’s business was severely impacted and she was forced to shut down because of a lack of visitors and tourists who would have bought the handcrafted products her business made.
Ms Degei joined the SPBD program – a microfinance initiative that provided financial support and business trainings to new and existing small business owners – in 2020 and was able to secure her first loan, which gave her a much-needed boost restart her entrepreneurial journey.
Speaking during the SPBD’s commemoration of its $US250 million loan disbursement milestone in Suva last week, Ms Degei said in 2014 she lost everything in a fire.
“Our family house burnt down in a fire and we lost everything. I was able to rebuild my home and business from scratch.”
She was able to expand her business even more as she took on new ventures such as homemade dishwashing paste and sewing, screen printing and others.
Ms Degei’s business managed to flourish through her diverse skills and numerous income streams. Despite the various challenges faced by Ms Degei over the years, she was successful in navigating them through her determination and resilience which were made even stronger by the unwavering support from the SPBD program.
Ms Degei said she was not expecting to receive such a reward for her hard work and was grateful for being recognised for her efforts.
