Aunt, Niece Graduate From Youth Centre
It was double celebration for an aunt and her niece of Bua Province after they graduated together at the Youth Training Centre at Naleba, a 10-minute drive from Labasa, on Friday.
Mereoni Mulo, 38, said graduating with her niece, Timaleti Yavu, 22, was something that she never dreamt of.
Both graduated with a certificate in screen printing, tie and die, sewing and hair and beauty therapy organised by the Ministry of Youth and Sports.
“It’s the best part of my career so far,” Ms Mulo said.
Ms Mulo, who is married with five children, said the training was essential to foster her skills in cloth printing and sewing. “This will provide me with avenues to earn a living for my family,” she said.
But what took a toll on Ms Mulo was staying away from her five children for six weeks.
“I really missed them each moment I was staying here at the hostel,” she said. However, she was determined to return with a qualification to her name.
“I had my niece staying with me and so I felt at home,” said Ms Mulo.
Her niece, Ms Yavu, said she came to know about the training through her aunt and both of them decided to go for it.
“I would like to encourage everyone to attend such training and make a difference in your lives,” said Ms Yavu.
She said that the training was an empowerment tool for all women.
“Everyone is excited back in the village,” she said.
Ms Yavu said that her aunt had been there to guide her as well as share ideas. “Sometimes I really felt homesick, but was glad that my aunt was there,” she said. For now, both will head back to Bua and plan to share the skills learned with other people of the community. Meanwhile, a total of 18 women graduated from the training centre on Friday.
Edited by Epineri Vula