A mother’s love
“MY daughter’s ambition to become a civil engineer motivated me to ensure she realised all that she had always dreamt of.”
This sums up a mother’s love for her daughter, who has ambitious plans to be a part of a male-dominated field, the story of a mother and daughter couple in the village of Namuavoivoi in Bua.
Sera Dikoila lives with her 13-year-old daughter, Alacia Dereki and the two only have each other to lean on after the passing of their husband and father.
“My husband has left us to be with the Lord and it was him who we always depended on for our livelihood and the education of our daughter,” she said.
The family owns a yaqona farm from which they derive their livelihood and it was during their time of loss that Sera unfortunately had to gather the reigns from.
“I saw what we had left, and my daughter’s yearning to become successful in life kept me moving during that difficult time and was also the reason I kept planting yaqona, which will be for her future.”
Depending on others and relatives was not an option for the family of two as Sera soldiered on.
This perseverance bore fruition in September 2017 as the duo planted their 200 yaqona plants and have been phase planting ever since, slowly and surely trudging along.
“We do not employ anyone and because there are no men to assist us, we often carry the harvest on our own backs from our farm,” she said.
“The struggle of being a single mother and residing in the village is a challenge and I have seen the good that farming can bring,” said Sera.
“It has provided for us and is now, our source of income.”
Ms Dikoila has instilled in her daughter the virtues of a woman of courage and will to face adversity in light of numerous obstacles; “Since it is just the two of us, I always remind my daughter of the need for us to keep moving, although at a slower pace, but the important thing is that we continue to grow”.
Weekends are always set aside for their yaqona farm and is a norm which Alacia has happily accepted.
“I have seen us develop from farming and I also know that farming will cater for my tuition and that is why I am always keen to assist my mother,” said Alacia.
“My mother will not always be strong, and I often notice weariness and tiredness in her, that is why I gladly assist her invest in something beneficial to the both of us,” added the young woman.
To add to their struggles, Sera is partially blind but that has not dampened her iron will to provide the best for her daughter as they have both managed to work around it.
“I would remind her not to be weary as the yaqona we go and visit every week is the same yaqona that will pay for her tuition and that constant reminder brings us through.
“Sometimes, it would be an emotional farm day for us as we reflect on things we cannot achieve and the hardships we face in bringing our produce down either on our shoulders or on our backs,” said Sera.
Their continuous stride for excellence has also led to them operating a canteen in the village, something which they have gradually worked towards as they develop their small micro enterprise and farm simultaneously.
“We opened our canteen in 2018 from the revenue our yaqona brought in and from the mere collection of sweets we sold from our window years ago, the villagers now have a wide variety of items to choose from,” she said.
“Farming has not only fed us but has greatly assisted in our canteen, the education of my daughter, village and church commitments and also the extension of our home.”
Sera embodies the spirit of a woman determined to meet the needs of her family, one she is excelling at through her farming venture all the while instilling the discipline in her daughter to be an independent woman.
“For those who are lucky enough to still have partners, try and do something useful for your unexpected days and for those who are also struggling alone, uphold the independence, stop waiting for assistance and work hard to succeed,” she said.
“We received no assistance from anybody but managed to continue, we achieved what we have achieved from farming and through farming, I have sown the seeds of my daughter’s dream.”