Fiji
From Heartbreak to Hope
"I am so thankful to the trainer, who through her story as a single mom and the struggle that she went through, really encouraged me."
The Fiji Moms project has been a wonderful lifeline for solo, abandoned and abused mothers like Diva who is a 39 year old mother to 3 young children. At 21 years of age she gave birth to her first child and after having 3 children, had to face the reality of being separated from her husband. She had a rough life and sometimes felt like giving up but was always inspired by the looks of her beautiful children. Having support from her relatives also boosted her confidence.
Left with no job and nowhere to start anything to be financially stable and be independent to support her children, she was very grateful to be part of the project, being given a second chance for having a livelihood to support her children. During the training she was not only trained for livelihood skills but also life skills, which built up her self-esteem, motivated her and encouraged her to keep moving forward. Counselling was one of her favourites because of the things she could not share with other people, such as the struggles and emotional/sexual abuse she went through. It helped her to open up to others and it lifted the burden that she had been carrying for the past years.
The skills training that she went through really pushed her to another level, her favourite being sewing. “I didn’t know anything about measurements, pattern cutting or even the parts of a sewing machine. I am so thankful to the trainer, who through her story as a single mom and the struggle that she went through, really encouraged me. She always mentioned to start from scratch, learn the basics and develop your creativity from there.” Through her teaching, she was able to learn how to sew toilet paper holders, tote bags, table runners, curtains, kitchen curtains, pencil cases, being items that sell easily to working people. She started selling during the Solo Moms market day, which enables her to buy her materials and financially support her children. She’s now living with her 3 children and looking forward to achieve many great things with the skills training that she has learned.
Left with no job and nowhere to start anything to be financially stable and be independent to support her children, she was very grateful to be part of the project, being given a second chance for having a livelihood to support her children. During the training she was not only trained for livelihood skills but also life skills, which built up her self-esteem, motivated her and encouraged her to keep moving forward. Counselling was one of her favourites because of the things she could not share with other people, such as the struggles and emotional/sexual abuse she went through. It helped her to open up to others and it lifted the burden that she had been carrying for the past years.
The skills training that she went through really pushed her to another level, her favourite being sewing. “I didn’t know anything about measurements, pattern cutting or even the parts of a sewing machine. I am so thankful to the trainer, who through her story as a single mom and the struggle that she went through, really encouraged me. She always mentioned to start from scratch, learn the basics and develop your creativity from there.” Through her teaching, she was able to learn how to sew toilet paper holders, tote bags, table runners, curtains, kitchen curtains, pencil cases, being items that sell easily to working people. She started selling during the Solo Moms market day, which enables her to buy her materials and financially support her children. She’s now living with her 3 children and looking forward to achieve many great things with the skills training that she has learned.