Vendor does it for grandchildren
TITILIA Seruiwai is a grandmother, who supports her grandchildren financially especially when it comes to education and basic needs.
A market vendor at the Suva Municipal Market she has been doing this job for 11 years so she could give her grandchildren a better life.
Originally from Nokonoko Village, Saivou in Ra Mrs Seruiwai has four children — three daughters, and a son and lives in Jittu Estate, Samabula.
Looking back the 70-year-old said the decision to become a market vendor emerged after she found out that her grandchildren were sometimes not well looked after.
She said she was optimistic and believed she could give her grandchildren a brighter future by supporting them financially.
When she started selling Mrs Seruiwai said it was a constant struggle at first.
“In the beginning I felt like I was drowning,” she said.
“I was so slow and I didn’t know what to do since everything was new to me.”
As the days went by she was able to gain more confidence and had a fair idea on what to do especially on where to buy her produce from and how to sell it on time.
Mrs Seruiwai sells six days a week from Mondays to Saturdays at 6.30am to 8pm and leaves her home at 4.30am to buy her produce from farmers in Sigatoka on time.
She sells English cabbage $20-$25 a dozen, pumpkins for $40-$50 a 25kg bag, lemons and kumquat for $25-$30 a bucket, coconuts for $30-$35 a bag and pawpaws for $50-$60 a bag.
Busy days for the mother of four are Thursdays, Fridays and Saturdays where she can serve 20 to 30 customers and earn about $200 while on a slack day she could only make $10 or $15.
Mrs Seruiwai adds one of the challenges she faces is business has been slow for the past few months and now she has to think of other means of earning money to support her grandchildren.
Despite her age she says she does not have any plans to retire soon and would continue to help her grandchildren in whatever way she could.
“I felt hugely responsible, not only to them but to their parents.”
Mrs Seruiwai says she never regrets assisting her children.
“You know, you can lose a house or a savings account, but you can always rebuild that. I felt it was more important to take care of the grandchildren.”