Don’t Look Down On Yourself: Soko Urges Western Disabled Youths
Setareki Soko, 28, has encouraged youths living with disability who maybe aspiring entrepreneurs not to give up on their goals and to continue working towards their targets.
The soft-spoken Ono-i-Lau native with maternal links to Fulaga said having learning difficulties at a young age had never stopped him from pursuing his passion for sewing handmade items.
Mr Soko is a member of the Western Disability Association and is also a trainer at the Western Disability Centre in Lautoka where he teaches other talented disabled persons how to make handmade items.
“I started sewing in Suva when I was a student then I went to the Fiji National University, but I left that to come and work in Danam (Danam Fiji Pte Limited) in Lautoka,” he said.
He said before moving to Lautoka, he was part of the Fiji National Council of the Disabled Persons in Suva which arranged for his employment at the Ranjit Garments in Suva.
“I earned a bit of money there before moving to Lautoka, while here, I did not know that they had opened a Western Disability Centre in Lautoka, so they (FNCDP) put me here and I’ve been sewing here while also earning money on the side and I also teach the other disabled children here,” he said.
He was also one of the few members of the Western Disability Association that had their colourful handmade items on display for guests during the International Day of Disabled Persons celebration at the Western Disability Centre in Lautoka on Friday.
“The bag prices depend on the size, the small ones are $8 while the big ones are around $10, $18, and then we have the tie-dyed pillowcases, bed sheets, cushion covers, curtains and handmade quilts as well as doormats,” he said
“We also learn how to do tie-dying and screen printing, but we sell it here and anyone can come and buy..”
He plans to expand his business in the future and save up to purchase a home.
“I face some hardships at home like some days I am not allowed to come and work and they tell me that what I’m doing is useless and I won’t earn anything but I just keep telling myself that one day I will reap the benefits later on,” he said.