At just 17, Jacob Moore carries the weight of adulthood on his shoulders.
Four years ago, in 2020, he made a decision that changed the course of his life. After his mother passed away, school no longer felt like a place he belonged.
“After mum passed away, I couldn’t go back to school,” he said.
“I guess I lost direction because she was the one who would wake up in the morning to prepare breakfast and take care of me. I lost all that pampering when she passed.”
For Jacob, home was more than a shelter. It was the centre of his universe, a place of love and hope.
When things did not work out, he relied on his family to pull him through and face his challenges.
“Children should obey their parents and parents should love their children back.
“Sometimes that doesn’t happen and problems develop. Most children who live on the streets and engage in criminal activities do so because they cannot find love in the home.”
Without his mother’s guiding hand, Jacob’s past years have felt a bit heavier. The direction she once provided faded into uncertainty. But even in grief, Jacob refused to surrender to despair.
When this newspaper caught up with him, he was standing by the roadside at Wailekutu, outside Lami Town, selling tuna he had help catch the previous day.
“I am selling tuna to earn some money, help the family and buy more engine oil so that we can go out to sea this afternoon and fish.
“Times are hard and full of struggles but we cannot just sit around. We must work hard to earn a living.”
Instead of sitting idle, Jacob chose the ocean.
He is part of a group of fishermen from Handfishing Fiji — an initiative that gives unemployed youths and men an opportunity to earn through deep-sea fishing. Together, they brave rough waters and long days, casting lines not only for fish, but for hope.
While out at sea, drenched in spray and scorched by the sun, Jacob often thinks of his mother. Everyday, her memory is both a reminder of loss and a source of strength. Everything he does now is fuelled by a quiet promise to make her proud.
“I am 17 and I look forward to my 18th birthday because that’s when I will look for a job,” he said.
“I am not sure whether I will continue fishing but one thing I know is I will have to look for a job. When I work, I plan to save money and buy my own boat and engine and go out fishing.”
His dreams are simple but powerful: steady work, savings in the bank, and one day, his own boat cutting confidently across the water.
Handfishing Fiji founder Joseph Zinck said the group was formed to help unemployed youths and men earn money through fishing. For young people like Jacob, it is more than a livelihood – a second chance at life.
Jacob’s story is not one of defeat. It is a reminder that setbacks do not define a future. Losing direction does not mean being lost forever. Hardship may interrupt the journey, but it does not have to end it.
To young people facing their own storms, Jacob’s life speaks clearly: grief may slow you down, but it does not have to stop you.
You can rise early, cast your net again, and work toward something better.
