A mother’s daily struggle to put food on the table drove her to find an alternative source of living for her family.
Venina Sandy enrolled at the Makoi Women’s Vocational Centre and last week she was among the 50 women who graduated with a certificate of completion in sewing. The mother of two said her husband, a hotel worker, lost his job during the COVID-19 pandemic.
The Toga, Rewa, woman said one of her biggest challenges was the fact that she lived in the village with her extended family.
“I came to a point where I lost hope because of the hardships I faced at home, and I even questioned God about the kind of life I was living,” she said.
“Life was hard for us, and at times I’d pray and ask God to show me how I could assist my husband put food on the table.”
Ms Sandy said she heard about the centre and decided to join the program. She said the group started in February this year, but because of COVID-19, they had to cease classes.
Despite this, she said, she used the skills she had learned during her two months at the centre to assist her family.
Women, Children and Poverty Alleviation Minister Rosy Akbar said the Makoi Women’s Vocational Training Centre had grown from strength to strength over the years.
She said it had now achieved the Approval of Registration by the Fiji Higher Education Commission (FHEC) to operate and issue recognised certificates to the graduating students in Aged Care and Community Care.
