From Tailevu to Suva at 2am — a mother’s daily sacrifice

When the clock strikes 2am and the rest of the village still sleeps, Makelesi Marama quietly leaves her home in Nakalawaca, Tailevu, to begin her day as a market vendor.

For more than 25 years, Ms Marama has made this same journey four times a week to the Suva Market — from Wednesday to Saturday — carrying not only sacks of vegetables and root crops, but also the hopes of her seven children who depend on her for their education and daily meals.

“It’s not easy,” she says.

“I wake up at 1am to prepare. By 2am, the truck comes to pick us up. We reach Suva by 4am — that’s when my work begins.”

Each trip costs about $50 in transport, a heavy burden that often eats into her day’s earnings.

On good days, she sells enough to cover her costs and buy food for her family. But on bad days, she goes home with little to show for it.

“Sometimes, I sell from morning till night and still don’t make enough,” she says.

“When that happens, I just tell myself tomorrow will be better.”

The market is her lifeline — and her struggle. Long hours, fierce competition, and rising costs test her resolve daily.

“There are many of us here selling the same vegetables,” she says. “People pass by, look, and go to another table. You just wait and hope someone will stop.”

Behind her tired smile lies the exhaustion of years of sacrifice.

Rain or shine, she shows up, even when unwell, because missing a day means her family goes without.

“I can’t rest,” she says.

“My children are still in school. Everything — their books, bus fare, food — comes from this.”

At the International Day for Rural Women celebrations in Suva yesterday, Ms Marama finally shared her story — one that mirrors the daily reality of countless women across Fiji who rise before dawn to keep their families afloat.

For her, being recognised meant more than applause. It was pride, a reminder that even through hardship, her strength keeps her family moving forward.

“I may not have much,” she said with tears in her eyes, “but every morning when I see my children go to school, I know it’s worth it.”