MEET SAUHANI FATIAKI FROM SAULEI, ROTUMA

SAUHANI Fatiaki sure can cook. Just ask anyone who has tried out her tried, tested and tasty dishes.
The woman originally from Saulei Village, in Rotuma, has a steady stream of clients who go to the Flea Market, in Suva, just top grab a bite from her kitchen.
Affectionately known as Honnie, she attended Marist Convent Primary School, in Vatukoula, before moving to Lomaivuna Secondary School.
She was in fourth form when her father died and she had to find work to support her mother and seven siblings.
She started work with Morris Hedstrom as a cashier, and then decided to chuck that in and start her own business.
Working from home, Mrs. Fatiaki started baking for family and relatives.
As word of mouth spread, people started flocking to her with orders for birthday and wedding cakes.
"Most of the time people underestimate me," she said.
"They prefer ordering cakes from well known cake shops, but the only thing that motivated me was the positive feedback that I received from my customers.
"I would like to keep it that way."
That was 30 years ago.
Now in her early 50s, Mrs. Fatiaki is mother to five children and still bakes for a living and for her family.
She runs her own takeaway cafe at the Flea Market in Suva fittingly called Honnie where she sells cakes and food like beef chopsuey and chicken curry among a range of local delicacies. She admits that the support from her husband and children have helped her continue to do what she does best baking.
"I'm really fortunate to have my two daughters who help me, one helps me in the cafe and the other one helps in doing the chores," she said.
"My ultimate goal is to work hard and earn enough money to support my children's education and provide them with what they need."
Mrs. Fatiaki is married to Alfred Fatiaki, of Motusa, in Rotuma, a Staff Sergeant with the Republic of Fiji Military Forces.
They have five children Lawrence, 26, William, 23, Wilma, 21, Ruth, 20 and Vicky 13.
Her advice to people planning to start a business is to put their hearts into whatever they do and let the sky be the limit.
Now, that is a sure recipe for success.

Adapted from Fijitimes Online

MEET DURGESHNI ARCHARI OF LAUTOKA TEACHERS COLLEGE

PAINTINGS and masi prints were on display at the Lautoka Teachers College yesterday.
The works of art created by teachers doing their Bachelor of Education (Primary) course at the University of the South Pacific were assessed as part of the curriculum.
All paintings and prints reflected the theme of the integrated arts course taken by the teachers.
Apart from the exhibition, the teachers also performed items which were assessed for their overall grades.
Naboro Primary School head teacher Kolinio Takali said the course was an upgrade to the teaching certificate they received from LTC.
Mr Takali said the exhibition of paintings and prints were the students' two major assignments for the arts course.
He said the course gave teachers the opportunity to express their thoughts and opinions of the world around them.
His creation, an impression of the untouched islands of Yasawa, generated a lot of interest as it included totems from his village, Yaqeta.
He said he wanted to let everyone see what he saw of Yasawa and his village

Adapted from Fijitimes Online

MEET SAMUELA KAILAWADOKO OFMATOKANA, ONO-I-LAU

FOR Samuela Kailawadoko, home is where the heart holds fondest.
That is why this Lauan man considers himself a proud and loyal servant of Nadi.
Mr Kailawadoko's love for the tourist town stems from the tale of struggle his father, Semiti Naiaba, would constantly relay to him.
It was a story of a wide-eyed 16-year-old who arrived from Matokana Village in Ono-Lau in search of a better future. It was 1954 then.
Mr Kailawadoko said his father had tried to settle in Suva and the old capital, Levuka, but it was not to be.
It was in Nadi town though that he found a place he could call home.
He said when his father and his cousin arrived at the Nadi Bus Station they did not know anyone in the area.
"They were still standing in the bus station when a man from Narewa Village, Jone Naqiri, came up to him and asked whether they were new to Nadi," he said.
"Upon learning that they had nowhere to go, Mr Naqiri offered to take them to his place in Namaka until they could stand on their feet."
Mr Naiaba was able to secure employment and eventually found his bride, Vale of Mualevu Village in Vanuabalavu.
They had four children two sons and two daughter, of which Mr Kailawadoko is the eldest.
Mr Kailawadoko said it was the display of great hospitality and genuine friendship shown to his father and the years spent in the town that convinced him to dedicate his time and resources on developing the town.
The 44-year-old said his father always reminds them of the kindness shown by Mr Naqiri, urging them to show similar respect and hospitality to the people of Nadi.
Mr Kailawadoko, who was born and bred in Nadi, since a young child has always kept the message passed on by his father close to his heart and strived to serve the people of Nadi to the best of his ability.
He has represented the town in rugby since he was a primary school student.
He played rugby for Nadi throughout his school days before moving on to district level and representing the tourist town for the converted Farebrother-Sullivan Trophy between the late 80s and early 90s.
Mr Kailawadoko even took up power lifting and represented the district in 1988 under the guidance of Epeli Ligairi.
"I had just started power lifting and one day while I was practicing in the Nadi Bula Gym, Mr Ligairi walked in. He had just returned from the United States after serving with the Air Force and when he saw the way I was doing the lifts, he offered to polish up my techniques.
"He helped me a lot and I believe it was this guidance that helped me represent Nadi.
The success he achieved in sports extended to his role as a sports administrator.
He was secretary with the Nadi Rugby Referees Association in 2005.
He is currently the secretary of the Nadi Rugby Union; a position he has held since 2003.
Mr Kailawadoko, who works as a manager with Sonaisali Island Resort, is also a member of an advisory committee for the Training and Productivity Authority of Fiji.
In 2004 he was appointed to the board of the Nadi College.
He contested the Nadi Municipal Election in 1999 then later helped Akanisi Koroitamana secure a seat during the general election the same year as her campaign manager.
He also held positions with the Party of National Unity and Bai Kai Viti Party during its initial stages and in the lead up to the 1999 general election.
He said all the positions and challenges that he took up was for the best interest of the people of Nadi.
And Mr Kailawadoko, who has spent the past 25 years in the tourism industry, is not about to give up.
He has always been fascinated by the open-heartedness of landowners in Nadi to offer their land for development projects.
He said with Nadi being the fastest growing center in Fiji, his focus was now on protecting landowners and ensuring they received a fair return for their co-operation.
Mr Kailawadoko lamented though the wrongs committed by certain investors against the some landowners.
He said he had witnessed several incidents in which landowners were exploited by developers and deprived of the true income they deserved.
Mr Kailawadoko believes he would be able to make a huge difference in the lives of the "Kai Nadi" by guaranteeing their rightful entitlements.
He urged others of different ethnic backgrounds to work in partnership with the "Kai Nadi" so that all, irrespective of their culture, age or creed, benefited from the generosity of locals.
He said Nadi had a lot to offer and its true potential would only be realised through a genuine partnership of all communities.

Adapted from Fijitimes Online

TRIO DESERVE 2nd CHANCE

EVERYONE deserves a second chance at life. This belief is the ray of hope that ex-convicts Olita Kau, Isireli Bera and Apenisa Jopelesi hold on to as they try to live reformed lives.

Mr Kau, 42, Mr Bera 37 and Mr Jopelesi, 17, hail from Vanuavatu in Lau. Each have been in and out of prison for various reasons.

Mr Kau spent 10 years at the Natabua Prison where he met Mr Bera who spent six years. Young Jopelesi says he spent six months at the Suva prison.
These men are members of the Green Army Ex-prisoners Association which was formed about six months ago to help in the rehabilitation of a group of ex-prisoners in Lautoka.

Already, it has 22 registered members. Mr Kau, who is the association's president, said the forum was formed to help given the difficulty for ex-prisoners to fit into society.

He said the association was formed to use the ex-prisoners skills in handicraft and other related work. This includes wood carvings and the weaving of handbags and other handicraft items. Their handiwork has drawn a lot of positive response from the community, he said.

But the stigma of having been imprisoned is. As such, it was the association's hope to facilitate growth in this area, particularly as most of their members are uneducated.
"Our members have already taken the initiative by trying to establish a group and asking certain members within society to assist them in their ideas," said Mr Kau.

"Putting our craft work pieces together is an expensive exercise. "Just for carving the materials is not cheap and it would cost more than $100 just to purchase the materials. "The timber alone costs around $32 and then there's the vanish and sand paper.

"That's why the end product is sold around $45 just to make up for the costs. "I draw up the designs and the rest of the members put the pieces together. I try my best to pass on whatever knowledge and skills I have to the other members.

"As for the weaving of baskets, we involve our wives." Mr Bera said their past decisions to take the wrong side of the law was largely influenced by their poverty.
At times there was nothing to eat, he said. He admits it is not an excuse to commit crime but at that time for them, it was a huge influence.

"If the tummy is not well fed one would go out and look for things," he explained.
"This leads to meeting up with other friends and leads on to other things, which usually do not have a good outcome. This is why he is very supportive of the initiative to form an association to help ex-prisoners change their lives for the better.

"When we go into prison we have lost everything," he said. "I have four daughters. Three are in school with the eldest being in class six. "Once we come outside of prison we try and find ways to earn a living to support, not only ourselves, but also our families.

"Some of the skills we have acquired were from when we were inside and now that we are outside we want to try and put it to good use. "But society is not very generous to us as the stigma of being an ex-prisoner still hangs over.

"When we approach business houses or some members in society to seek their assistance in getting our work recognised, they don't understand us or where we are coming from," he said.

Mr Bera said in order for the association to earn a daily living he and many of their members move around on foot to business houses. They had tried selling door to door in residential areas but sales was practically nil. He said sometimes they would travel down to Ba or even go to Suva just to try and sell their handicrafts.

"Its not an easy job but its our way of making up and trying to put food on our tables and ensuring that our families are okay," he said. "I start walking around town from about 8am and I can go right until the afternoon.

"Sometimes if we are lucky once the craft work is completed we come in to town. "There are time though when we are lucky and our items are sold so quickly that we have to go back home and get some more to sell," he said.

Adapted from the Fijitimes.com

MEET NANISE NIUVOU

Extracting cocoa out of its pods and fermenting it to its edible form follows a sequence of procedures that Namau farmers in Tailevu have mastered.

Cocoa farm manager Tevita Nuivou says despite the long process in extracting cocoa from its natural form, Namau farmers are urged to adopt the old procedure in order to understand how exactly cocoa is manufactured.

Tevita says nurturing cocoa trees is a very important stage and a lot of patience is needed before the tree can actually bear the cocoa fruits they want. A cocoa tree takes at least three years to mature and bear fruits. Around this time it's very important to keep the area around the tree clean and to pile the dry leaves around the tree to allow for decomposition.

Tevita said chemical spraying and farming manure are not used because they believe strongly in nurturing organic cocoa pods. He said one of their objectives was to hit the big European markets overseas. These markets, he said, paid a lot for organic products.

Harvesting cocoa pods from the tree is done every six months and there are about 14 farmers responsible for taking care of their allocated areas. Cocoa beans are removed from the pods and bagged in sacks made of nylon, a method Namau farmers follow. Tevita said beans are then suspended from the ground to drain the juice that seeps out naturally from the seeds. It is then left for four nights before the grinded process.

A hand-full of cocoa seeds are collected and the inner core is inspected to check the colour. Tevita said after the drying process is completed the colour of the nucleus should change from its natural colour purple to a dark brown.

The colour of the seeds, he says, reflects how well the trees are nurtured. Seeds are manually grinded into a liquid and this is normally an eight-hour process. The cocoa liquid is then poured into plastic moulds and cooled overnight to harden. It is then wrapped and ready for sale.

Adapted form the Fijitimes.com

MEET KIJI BAVOU, BEST PROSECUTOR OF THE YEAR!

KIJI Bavou had hoped to follow her father's footsteps into medicine.

But that was not to be as she soon discovered a love for law and the pursuit of justice. Hence, instead of clinical surroundings and white coats, she found herself in a classroom of outspoken individuals citing torts and penal codes.

She does not regret her decision to deviate from her long-held dream of becoming a doctor. And last week when she received the Best Prosecutor of the Year Award 2007, it was for her a reinforcement that she had made the right choice.

The 30-year-old is a principal legal officer with the Office of the Director of Public Prosecutions (ODPP). She leads the constitutional office's Northern office. Having lived in Labasa for a year now, she has become accustomed to the challenges typical of a rural setting. It no longer troubles her so much and this, she says, is largely because of the warmth of residents.

"The friendliness of the people is such that there's always someone who is willing to help," she says. "We are geographically challenged, there is a lack of infrastructure, hampered by bad weather conditions and flooding, the roads are in a bad state, our resources are limited, (and) witnesses and victims are spread throughout Vanua Levu and are inaccessible at times," she explained.

Nevertheless, she admits that "it is in a place like this that I have been able to grow and develop not only as a person but in my career". "If you are willing to work hard and persevere and achieve results in a place that is challenged in many respects, then you should be able to work anywhere," she said.

She says the recent merger of the ODPP and the Summary Prosecution Office has considerably widened the scope of their work. "It was challenging initially being that much of my work was strictly prosecutorial but I thoroughly enjoy my role as manager and prosecutor in the North," she said.

Her work includes manage prosecutions in several districts, supervise summary prosecutors, and conduct training and lectures. She said staff of the north office should also be credited for ensuring the office meets its role. The team, she said, "have been a wonderful, committed group of people to work with".

Kiji believes formal education is an essential ingredient for success. Hers began in Yat Sen Primary School in Flagstaff, Suva. After eight years she moved next door to its secondary school.

Midway through her years at YatSen Secondary, she spent two years in New Zealand (intermediate). After completing seventh form in YatSen, she secured a Fijian Affairs Board scholarship and enrolled for the University of the South Pacific's Bachelor of Law (LLB) program.

In 1999, she graduated with an LLB from USP (Vanuatu) and in June the following year, she completed her Post Graduate Diploma in Legal Practice (PDLP). In September that year, she was admitted to the Fiji Bar as a barrister and solicitor.

Following this, she worked at a private law firm for two months before a position opened at the ODPP. In December of that year she started her prosecutorial career. Over six years, she worked her way up the ladder from a legal officer, to a senior legal officer and then as a principal legal officer.

It has not been all smooth sailing, she says. "We work on a daily basis with different people, and various personalities can create challenges at times," she said. "Many times, the work of a prosecutor tests you as an individual and (your) strength of character."

Case overload and resource constraints make it even harder, she said. But ultimately, "it is up to people to make the most of their situation and limitations if you want to progress and achieve maximum results as a prosecutor".

A prosecutor must be "a person who is dedicated, has an ability to work under immense pressure at times (and) yet be committed in your role and service to the courts, the country and its people". One of the most influential factors in her success is her family, particularly her parents, Paula and Resina.

"My parents focus has always been on education as a priority," she said.
"They sacrificed a lot to get us through school and tertiary." Her father is a consultant specialist at the Colonial War Memorial Hospital. Kiji's mother is Rotuman from Motusa and her biological father is Korean.

She said her mum kindly gave up job opportunities to look after her and her two siblings and provide a stable healthy environment for them. "My mother is particularly important in our family," said Kiji, herself a mother of a four-year-old daughter, Helena.

"Whilst dad provided financially for us, mum was the person who sacrificed so much of her time and energy to ensure that we were always properly fed, had good clean clothes and that there was nothing that could cause disturbances in our studies," she said.
She said her mother was very strict with her because she was the oldest. Her approach now has softened with age though, she said with a laugh. "My parents supported my career choice and gave me everything I needed in terms of support to achieve what I did," she said. "It was the fear of disappointing anyone who sacrificed so much and the embarrassment of failure that made me ensure that I completed my studies without hiccups."

Her parents' dedication have paid off. Her brother, Shem, recently graduated from the Fiji School of Medicine with an MBBS (Bachelor of Medicine and Surgery) and her sister, Nina, is in her fourth year of studies, also at FSM.

Discipline, she says, is another important factor for her, career-wise and personally.
She says she tries not to repeat her mistakes and instead to learn from them. "I believe in the power of prayer and that the Lord is always looking out for me despite my failures or mistakes in life," she said. "I learnt that mutual respect is the key to peaceful relations."

Having fun is also important, she adds. It is important to enjoy life, she said. On the country's unstable political sphere, she said one must not let it affect one's work. This is even more important for a prosecutor, she said.

"The recent political events have not interfered with my ability to perform my work independently and fairly," she said. As for lawyers, she says it is important to constantly read and keep abreast of the developments in the legal sphere.

CONGRATULATIONS KIJI FROM THE FIJITUWAWA TEAM!

Adapted from Fijitimes Online

MEET Dr ANJEELA JOKHAN

TIMES: Some concern was raised about the performance of science teachers and how this could have influenced the significant decline in the number of students studying science. How much of an issue is it?

JOKHAN: It is an issue. Science teachers are plagued with the lack of resources. Science has to be taught with a lot of resources; it's very intensive. A lab component is an integral part. But because of the lack of resources, teaching science would be very difficult for any science teacher. You can only do so much. We know from teachers who have been here for the past two days that many schools are very poorly equipped.

TIMES: So what do you propose be done?
JOKHAN: My understanding is that it's the schools that have the responsibility and not the government. The ministry gives the school an allocation, but the school managers however - school boards, parents association and school managers - just don't consider it an important part of resources. It's all about priorities, it seems, and so the frustration for science teachers mounts.

TIMES: What's your proposal to circumventing the problem?
JOKHAN: We do our best in trying to tell teachers wherever possible to use alternatives. You don't have to rely on expensive equipment which the schools are not going to get, so do what you can with what you have. We can do with home-made things. But they can only do so much. What we're now telling teachers is when they go back, they should be a bit more forceful about driving this home. And if they can, then they've fulfilled their responsibilities in convincing the school managers about the importance of the matter.

TIMES: How does the lack of resources affect the students?
JOKHAN: At the moment, the students go into a lab and learn as they would in a lecture. If they're lucky, they'd get a demonstration of what's in the lab. What we're saying is if all students got to do the demonstration themselves, with not necessarily the expensive equipment, then it'd be more interesting for the students because it's then hands-on and they're learning in the process.

TIMES: Would that increase the interest to study science?
JOKHAN: There has been a drop but a very slight drop which I have to admit that for here at USP - the numbers in terms of the decline isn't as significant. We will always have the core students coming in, only because we train teachers mostly.So while numbers have dropped a little bit, I don't think USP and other tertiary institutions, the issue in my view isn't really numbers. The issue is the quality. With quality comes success, so if you get poor quality students, the chances of them succeeding are less. If you have a higher quality, then you know you can churn out much better quality graduates and more of them.

TIMES:Were there other issues in respect of science that were not brought to the fore during the science teachers conference?
JOKHAN: One of the main issues is the curriculum. Teachers are saying they have a certain amount to teach, they have only a certain amount of time, and they're not spending enough time in labs. To me these things are not gelling. They don't appear to be making a lot of sense. Perhaps we need to revisit the curriculum to see if it is too heavy. Perhaps if the curriculum could be learnt elsewhere and while they're teaching children to learn by heart, emphasis can be put on children to be better learners to help them go on if they feel there is a need. Perhaps we are too content-based in our curriculum. I don't know. These are the things that need to be looked at closely in the near future.

TIMES: At the rate we're going and given the progress in the science arena, what do you think would be the economic impact of neglecting the question of science development?
JOKHAN: If you give it real serious thought to this issue, today there is a stronger science base than there was a long time ago. There is also a lot more appreciation of science. If we build up on science today, it will have a better impact on the economy in the years ahead. What we need to do is drive it in to the administrators of the country to start talking about it themselves as was suggested in the seminar. Government talks about sports. It talks about money. The Government talks about everything but no one talks about science. Once discussion on science starts at Government level, it will be a sign - and we'll know - that we're headed in the right direction. And that's where we come in. We need to have a section dedicated to talk about it, to tell the policymakers, to guide them on matters like these. Once we do that, they'll all start talking about it. I'm very excited about the meeting we had with the European Union at Rewa Dairy. I am on the board of directors. They're very keen to put in money into the country. At the same time they're keen to ensure that we use this money for research and development. And they want to ensure we don't let other people come and do it - but that we do it ourselves and we build the capacity. The bottom line is, once we've got that, we've got a sustainable economy. I am hoping the 'big people' will actually see it. I'd be really disappointed if we don't because we'd have got the money but not our act altogether. Come the next generation, we wouldn't have done what we should have done with the $60-$80million or however much the EU is giving us. That's the key.

Addapted from the Fijitimes.com