PALM worker eyes business, better home with Aussie earnings

For Rosivela Nadibi, the chance to work in Australia is about turning hard-earned wages into a better home and a more secure future for his family.

The married father of two from Tabalei, Magodro in Ba, with maternal links to Nabukulevu in Kadavu, will soon leave for Australia under the Pacific Australia Labour Mobility (PALM) Scheme.

Mr Nadibi was among participants at the Fiji Family Focus (FFF) Forum held at Nawaka Village in Nadi on Monday.

The forum prepares PALM workers and their families for overseas employment and helps them plan how to make the most of the opportunity.

For Mr Nadibi, the planning is important because he does not want his overseas earnings to be spent only on immediate needs.

He plans to invest in a business and build a better home for his family.

“I just hope to improve our lifestyle and make use of the money that I will earn from the sweat and sacrifice overseas,” he said.

Mr Nadibi said the workshop had reinforced the importance of having clear goals before leaving Fiji.

“What we achieve will determine what we have planned. If you do not plan, it will be no use going.”

He said his decision to take up the PALM opportunity was driven by his family and the desire to improve their circumstances.

“This is a good opportunity because for us it helps the family. When we go, it is the family that we will come back to.”

“Most of us are trying to go and work overseas to provide for our families and make our lives better,” he said.

Mr Nadibi and his wife are both working in Fiji, but he believes the opportunity to earn overseas will help them achieve goals that would otherwise take longer.

“Both my wife and I are working hard here, but I know this will be a good opportunity to earn overseas for my family to improve our lifestyle.”

“Life has been up and down for us. Sometimes life is good and sometimes it is bad, but we cannot complain because life cannot always be good. We should keep faith in God and in our family,” he said.