WHEN he was 10 years old, Paula Balekana watched his father struck by illness and was unable to continue work so his mother became the sole breadwinner for the family working as a housemaid.
Although still a child, the young man began to develop a perceptive sense of family obligation.
Balekana said he would walk to the farm owners around the Wainbuku 9 Miles area in the hopes of being employed as a farmhand.
During school days, as soon as he was out of the classroom, instead of joining in the regular after-school jaunts with his peers, Balekana would shed his uniform and begin his work of spreading chicken manure around the farms that employed him.
In this way, he was able to earn his keep at home, and at 10 years old, Balekana was paying his own bus fare, lunch, and earning his own spending money.
After primary school Balekana studied at Nasinu Secondary School before he left our shores to attend Kelston Boys High School in Auckland.
Now Balekana has signed a contract with the Houston SaberCats for the 2021 Major League Rugby season in the United States.
From his humble beginnings, to touring the world and living his dream, the boy from Wailevu, Kadavu has a message for kids back home who may be witnessing their parents face similar struggles.
“To achieve your dreams just like I did, listen to your parents, work as hard as you can, make the best of what you have and have faith that it will get better,” Balekana said.
