Growing up in a village setting is not easy and Atunaisa Vunivaulada is adamant he will work to achieve the best for his family.
The 17-year-old said he opted to leave school a year ago to help his father at their family farm.
He said even though his decision to leave school broke his heart, he never regretted it because he was now working to achieve his goal of becoming a well-established farmer.
The Naitutu villager in Verata, Tailevu said he was awarded the best farmer award a year ago and had been building his character and family farm since.
Vunivaulada said he planted yaqona and various types of root crops and duruka (Saccharum edule or the Fijian asparagus).
“My immediate goal is to build a new house for my family after I harvest my yaqona plants,” he said.
“I have nine siblings and my six sisters are all in school. I also want them to complete their education.”
Vunivaulada believed time was of the essence.
“As a young person, the way I plan to use my time is often a challenge and I am working on it because this is important.
“Heavy consumption of alcohol is also a challenge and as a young person, if we can take control of how we use our time, then we will be successful in what we do.”
