Marama refuses to give up at 91

At 91 years old, Anisa Marama of Nasavu in Naitasiri still wakes up before dawn to sell at the Suva municipal market.

While many would have long retired, she continues to work, a testament to resilience, strength and the unbreakable spirit of a woman who refused to be defeated by life’s struggles.

Selling at the market is work she began in 1959 to feed her children — and something she has never stopped doing.

Ms Marama has been a market vendor for almost 67 years.

Some nights she sleeps at the market to save bus fare. On other nights, she makes the long trip back to Naitasiri — but only if she has earned enough that day.

“I started selling to support my family, I mean there was no one else there.”

Her husband and son have both passed away. Today, she lives with her late son’s wife and children.

Even at her age, she still feels responsible for helping provide for the family, a sense of duty shaped by the hardships of her childhood.

Ms Marama grew up with blind parents and did not finish primary school. From a young age, she learned the weight of responsibility.

She said people often took advantage of her family’s situation.

"I do this out of my own will. I grew up being strong because I had no choice. My family would tell me to retire but I would not want to burden anyone of them."

As a young woman, she believed marriage would bring love, protection and relief from struggle.

“I thought if I got married, I would be loved and I could stop being strong for a while.”

Instead, the hardship continued. She faced abuse not only from her husband but from others around her, and the dream of an easier life quickly disappeared.

“There were days I had nothing to eat,” she said quietly.

But even during the darkest moments, she refused to surrender. “I told myself I have to be the man myself. For my children and for me.”

She became the provider, carrying heavy loads to the market, working long hours in the sun and rain, and returning home to cook, clean and care for her children.

“I even cared for my husband who was supposed to look after me but abused me.”

Despite everything, she says she holds no bitterness.

“I forgive him and other men in my life who did not provide or protect me as they should have.”

Every dollar she earned went toward putting food on the table. There were times when people wondered how she endured so much.

“Some ask me how I made it through and I just kept going.”

Her faith became her source of strength. “As long as I believe God is on my side, it does not matter what I go through. I am alive and that is enough.”

Today, her body is frail, but her determination remains strong.

She survives on what she earns each day and the kindness shown to her by strangers. She said some young men regularly buy her food or check on her wellbeing.

“I thank them for their blessings.”

Despite having little education, wealth or family support, Ms Marama built a life through determination.

She raised her children, endured hardship and outlived many of the struggles that could have broken her.

On International Women’s Day, her story stands as a powerful reminder that strength is not always found in titles or recognition.

Sometimes it is found in a woman who has known hunger yet remains grateful.

A woman who has known abuse yet chooses faith.

A woman who has buried loved ones but still wakes each morning ready to face another day.

Anisa Marama’s life is a testament to resilience, proof that with determination, it is possible to survive even the hardest chapters of life.