Nativi Village up in the hills of Ra is an hour’s ride by car or two hours by bus from Raki­raki Town to Vasemaca Toga’s home where she runs a family canteen business.

With able support from her hus­band they have sought other means to earn income after retiring from the civil service.

“My husband was a former teacher and so when he retired, we moved here to his village up in the moun­tains of Ra,” she said.

Vasemaca moved to Nativi and with the support of her husband, built and opened a canteen in the village.

She is a recipient of the Ministry of Industry, Trade and Tourism’s small and micro business grant as­sistance given to successful appli­cants in 2015.

“I bought my stock and supply from the grant of $1000 that was given to me by the Government.”

Vasemaca has not relied on the in­come from the canteen alone.

“After I got the grant, I realized that I can do other things to occupy my time and bring in extra money too.”

Having other canteens in the vil­lage has also provided stiff competi­tion for the soft spoken woman.

“When it’s cane cutting season, the business is good because people come in to cut cane, and there is con­stant flow of money.”

She has big plans to expand her business and will try and cater for all different age groups in the vil­lage.

“I want to extend my shop and in­clude a pool table where the young people can come and play a game,” she said.

“I thank this Government for giv­ing me the grant. It has indeed been a huge boost to my business and my confidence in running a business here in the village.”

“I have seen a big difference in my family. My children are well educat­ed and working and one of my son’s is going to be admitted as a lawyer soon in Suva.

“This business has really helped my family.”

Edited by Percy Kean