Food, home or school
TOUGH TIMES AHEAD FOR FAMILY LEFT WITH ‘NOTHING’
THE heavy rain triggered by Severe Tropical Cyclone Yasa caused flooding that inundated Mirzah Mohammed Kalim’s home in Vuniuto Settlement, Nasarawaqa, Bua. But the worst of his nightmares came when strong winds flattened his home, leaving the truck driver and his family with nothing. With less than a week to go before school begins, he said rebuilding the family home and ensuring they had something to eat would have to be juggled with sending his two daughters to school. While the future looked bleak, he said he would do everything humanly possible to ensure his children attended classes.
ETA Tavo told her two school-age children they might have to wait for a while before starting classes this year.
The 51-year-old mother of five said her main priority was ensuring there was food on the table.
A fire tragedy which resulted in serious burns to her body made it difficult for her to move around and find work.
And all hope was lost when her husband, a sailor, lost his job more than a year ago.
Ms Tavo said since her husband stopped working, the entire family became totally dependent on the little that her eldest daughter’s fiancé made.
“We all live here in our home in Nanuku settlement and he’s also a sailor,” she said.
“When he returns from sea, we use whatever he earns to meet our expenses at home.
“It’s not ideal but I’m very grateful to him for helping my family.
“I was just telling my children that before, when their father was sailing, we would have their school stationery ready before Christmas.
“I always made it my goal to have my children’s stationery before the ‘back to school’ rush. This year it’s a different story. This year is the first year I am wondering how I’m supposed to buy my two daughters’ stationery.
“I have been telling them starting school may be delayed this year because we would have to buy their stationery little by little somehow.”
Ms Tavo said it broke her heart that she could not do the bare minimum for her daughters who had done well in school.
She said her youngest, Titilia, had achieved “very good marks” in her Year 8 examination at St Marcellin Primary School.
“We’ve enrolled her for Year 9 at Ratu Sukuna Memorial School after she was not accepted into St Joseph’s Secondary School, and my other daughter will be in Year 12 at Nabua Secondary this year.”
With a week to go before school, Ms Tavo said she did not know how they would send their children to school.
“There’s stationery, books, uniforms but there is also lunch for every day. Last year I sent them to school without lunches some days and they would walk to school, as long as they attended school and they always did.
“All I want is to send my children to school, they have done well in school and deserve to continue studying.
“I’m thankful to my children for bearing with us, their parents, in these hard times. Especially my older children who have been trying to help at home when they should be pursuing tertiary studies now.”