Believe in yourself

Listen to this article:

Bilitaki Vakaloloma on his wheelchair at home in Tarai Village, Vanuavatu, Lau. Picture: SUPPLIED

BEING confined to 30 years in a wheelchair hasn’t weakened Bilitaki Vakaloloma’s spirit.

A work trip to Viria, Naitasiri back in the early 1990s ended in a horrific crash that made him paralysed from the waist down.

But from the waist up, life goes on.

“Being in a wheelchair and being dependent on others is not the life I dreamed and wanted,” he told The Fiji Times during an interview at Taira Village on Vanuavatu, Lau.

“Nevertheless it is a life worth holding on to. You just have to figure out how to move on and be useful.”

For Mr Vakaloloma, a former carpenter by trade, his pathway out of despair came in the form of handcrafting.

“I befriended a traditional woodcarver from Fulaga who once lived in the village. When he left, I did my own carvings and minor woodworking.

“Now I also weave magimagi and sell sasa brooms to earn extra money I need to support me and my family.”

His biggest needs are having proper ramps at home to help him move around and accessing tools that would enable him to have a small woodworking business.

“If I had the tools I’d be able to repair knife handles, make kava bowls and handicrafts, making use of the supply of vesi trees on the island,” the paraplegic said.

“I could also teach young people in the village handicraft-making and carving. All I need is a workshop to operate from and some tools.”

The 72-year-old said people living with disabilities needed to believe in themselves although all hope seems gone.

“Until my breath leaves me I will continue to do my best for my family despite the limitations I have and the challenges I face daily.”

Mr Vakaloloma was a happy man last week, when the joint mission of the United Nations, Government and development partners visited him at his home.

“It is nice to be visited once in a while by civil servants. It shows that we matter and we are not left behind in development,” he said.

Officials from the Spinal Injuries Association, Pacific Disability Forum, department of social welfare and Fiji Council of Social Services paid the septuagenarian a visit.

Array
(
    [post_type] => post
    [post_status] => publish
    [orderby] => date
    [order] => DESC
    [update_post_term_cache] => 
    [update_post_meta_cache] => 
    [cache_results] => 
    [category__in] => 1
    [posts_per_page] => 4
    [offset] => 0
    [no_found_rows] => 1
    [date_query] => Array
        (
            [0] => Array
                (
                    [after] => Array
                        (
                            [year] => 2023
                            [month] => 12
                            [day] => 29
                        )

                    [inclusive] => 1
                )

        )

)

No Posts found for specific category