THE dream of becoming a teacher has never left Vutaeli Seniyalewa.
Even today, as she helps clean harvested dalo plants on the family farm on the outskirts of Saumakia Village, Naitasiri, alongside her sisters-in-law, the 29-year-old still remembers the ambitions she carried as a student at Lomaivuna High School.
As a teenager, the classroom, with children, was where she wanted to work.
But life had other plans.
Raised by her grandparents, Vutaeli said financial hardships forced her to leave school in Form Six before she could pursue tertiary studies.
“I was brought up by my grandparents. They were old and could not support my dreams of getting higher education and becoming a teacher,” she said.
“Later I got married and now have two children.”
Today, her focus is no longer on the classroom she once dreamed of teaching in, but on ensuring her own children one day reach theirs.
Her husband and his brothers jointly run two dalo farms to support their growing families, children’s education and daily living expenses.
“Times are getting tough so our families run the farms together,” she said.
“While our husbands plan and oversee them, my two karua (brother in laws’ wives) and I help in weeding and during harvest times.
“Yesterday, the brothers pulled out dalo and cleaned them by the roadside.”
For Vutaeli, farming is more than survival. It is sacrifice with purpose.
“I could not go to tertiary school and become the teacher I had always dreamt of becoming but my aim is to ensure that my children realise their dreams and do better than we did.”
She believes many villagers can improve their lives if they begin treating farming not just as subsistence work, but as a business opportunity.
“There’s money in farming. All we need is to change our mindsets. ”
“Wives should step up and support their husbands succeed in turning the soil to sources of livelihood.”
Beyond income, she said farming also kept food on the table and helped families eat healthier meals.
“Nowadays, there’s a lot of talk on NCDs. Planting your own food makes sure your family, especially the children, have access to the most nutritious food to fight diseases and grow healthy bodies.”
