Seasonal worker Luisa Delana spent the past four years turning overseas employment into long-term investments for her family back home in Kadavu.
Working in Australia under the Pacific Australia Labour Mobility (PALM) Scheme, Mrs Delana said her goal from the start was to ensure the income she earned would create lasting benefits for her family.
Her visa under the PALM scheme is for four years, during which she has worked as a fruit picker.
In her first year abroad, Mrs Delana used her earnings to complete a home for her nuclear family in Kadavu, where her husband and child live.
She said before leaving Fiji she set clear goals for what she wanted to achieve during her time overseas.
“My first priority was to make sure my child was well looked after,” she said.
In her second year, Mrs Delana purchased a fibre boat and engine in Suva, which she sent to the island to assist with transportation and provide another source of income.
By her third year, she had invested in opening a small canteen in her village as another way to grow her earnings.
With her four-year visa nearing its end, Mrs Delana plans to return for another nine months to earn enough money to start a small business.
She said her focus had always been on ensuring the money she earned was invested in ventures that would continue generating income in the future.
As the world prepares to mark International Women’s Day this Sunday, Mrs Delana shared a message encouraging other women to believe in their abilities.
“We think as women we are weak because we look up to men, but we must know we have strength in ourselves.”
“Ensure we don’t ever doubt ourselves. We can achieve whatever we want as long as we praise God in whatever we do.”
