Mild stroke does not deter vendor
SHAHIMAN Ali has been a fruit seller at the Suva Municipal Market for over 33 years. She started her journey with her late husband and has continued until today. Mrs Ali believes that by hard work and determination anyone can achieve whatever their heart desires.
"I have been a market vendor for more than 33 years and I am still standing," she said.
Mrs Ali travels daily from Koronivia, Nausori where she lives with her son, to the Suva Municipal Market to sell imported fruits.
She sells apples, oranges, pears and grapes. She buys her produce from fruit suppliers around Viti Levu, depending on which one has reasonable prices as it varies.
Mrs Ali has been running her market business since 1989. One of the challenges she faces is buying of fruits from suppliers. She said at times she would end up opening a box full of rotten fruits and that affects her business as she cannot sell rotten fruits to her customers. Despite the challenges and hardships, Mrs Ali still has that positive mindset that her market business will keep on growing.
In 2010, the 65-year-old suffered a mild stroke on her hip down, but despite this, she still manages to tend to her market stall daily.
"I had a mild stroke from my hip down and the doctors told me that it would be difficult to walk again, today I'm using a crane and wheelchair and I'm still fit and healthy," she said.
Today on International Women's Day, Mrs Ali wishes to encourage women to never give up on what they do.
She says everything she does today is only possible through God's help in her life. Mrs Ali depends on God daily for support and strength so she can get through the day. She said one lesson she has learnt for the past 33 years is that most of the time men do everything and are portrayed as the providers in the family, from her experience, women can also provide and be independent only if they make good use of their time.
Mrs Ali encourages other women to never let anyone belittle them or look down on them. "Having a positive plan on how you want your day to go will give you a productive outcome within that day."