Salesi Veiseavalu always dreamt of building a beautiful home for his family at Malevu in Nadroga after his parents separated when he was a child.
This dream, he believes, will become a reality soon.
The 29-year-old is among 36 youth selected to work at an orchard in Adelaide, Australia, for three years under the Pacific Labour Scheme.
“My parents separated when I was little and I’ve seen how mum struggled for me and my four siblings,” Mr Veiseavalu said.
“We did not have much growing up because mum was the family’s sole breadwinner and she worked at a resort, her wages was just enough to pay for groceries and school staff.
“I’ve always dreamt of getting a job overseas and make my mother the happiest woman in the world, and renovate our family home.”
Unfortunately, his mother died of cancer in 2016 and he was left to look after his four younger siblings.
He worked odd jobs in supermarkets and other businesses to provide for his family.
“The cost of renovating our home is around $20,000, I hope to achieve this in three years while working in Australia. Apart from building my family home, I have two daughters, so this is also an investment in their future.
“It will be hard being separated from my family but it will be worth it in the end.”
He said the contract allowed them to visit their family in Fiji every 11 months.
“I applied in 2016 but was not selected, I did not give up, so I tried again in 2019 and got it this year.”
The group will fly out of the country on Monday.
