A SKILL FOR CRAFTING
THE economic crisis caused by the COVID-19 outbreak has forced Fijians to think outside the box and diversify income streams. Sereima Kidia is one of those creative and unique locals who has managed to sustain her family by expanding her business in line with market demand.
The single mother of five said she began with tailoring then moved to baking and then ventured into making salusalu (garlands) and wreaths.
The 55-year-old Bua woman who operates out of a stall at the Nausori Municipal Market said life was all about self-discovery and exploration.
“I have been running this handicraft stall for the past five years and before this I used to sell fruit jams and roti parcels — moving around in town from one office to another,” she said.
“By selling jam and roti parcels, I was able to raise my five children and pay our utility bills after my husband left us.”
Sereima said she learnt wreath-making from her colleagues in the market.
“When I started in the market, I was selling mats, dresses, pillowcases, table cloths and other things which
I made at home.
“I didn’t know how to make salusalu and wreaths but by coming to the market and seeing how the ladies here made them, I learnt and started selling my own creations. Making wreath and salusalu are easy when compared to sewing — which takes a lot of time. I also could not get my machine here so I stopped my tailoring business.”
She said she got into tailoring while she was in high school.
“While I was studying home economics in high school, I developed a keen interest in craft work such as tailoring, baking and cooking so I started doing it after leaving school.”
Sereima said life had been very challenging for her and her family with the departure of her husband.
“Life was very hard and using my talent was my only option to raise my five children. I had to start from scratch because nobody helped me but I thank the Lord for always helping me — getting this stall was a huge blessing for me.
“Compared to my previous job where I had to move around from office to office, this work is much better because I am in one place and can easily get customers.
“Before this, there were times when I couldn’t sell my jam or food parcels after walking around Nausori the whole day.
“Being in the market means my customers know where to find me and sometimes it does get hard, especially when there are fewer customers coming around, but it is much more relaxing.”
Sereima said when one of her sons scooped the Dux prize for Ratu Kadavulevu School in 2012, she was so proud because it meant all her hard work and struggles had paid off. She said the second wave of COVID-19 had really affected her sales.
“Business is down at the moment as most of my customers are in the lockdown areas so they cannot come and I have to take things to the border for them.
“However, trading is slowly improving as businesses are opening up and we are able to earn something.
“I have also posted about my things on social media so people from overseas countries also order stuff and their relatives come and pick it up from me.”
Sereima said the key to success and longevity in any undertaking was perseverance and hard work.