Occupation: Fish Seller
Location: Fiji
On Thursday, June 25th, live from Fiji, Vani Vakacegu, a mother, wife, and entrepreneur, shared her story of hard work and determination to listeners all over the world. It was certainly a success, and we appreciate all the positive feedback from Vani's moving testimony!
In an interview moderated by Rico Munoz, our SPBD Fiji General Manager, Vani explained how life before SPBD was "very hard.” She explains that she and her family “had only a little house with one bedroom and no electricity.” In fact, she had to buy an extension cord and connect her home to her neighbor’s electricity.
One day, in an effort to find a way to generate more income for her struggling family, Vani asked her husband, a fisherman and sole breadwinner for the family, for his day’s catch so that she could try selling it at the market. Lacking financing to invest in capital for her business, Vani joined SPBD based on recommendations from fellow women in her village. With her very first loan in hand, along with ongoing business training, Vani launched her fish business selling 8 bundles of fish each week. Today, she sells more than 50 – a sixfold increase!
Vani is a leader and inspirer in her community and supports other women's success. "I help the women in my community formalize their businesses; I encourage them to enter the market.”
Forced to leave school at a young age to support her siblings, Vani values education, and so she works to pay for all her children to attend school. Her oldest son is in university, and her daughter, currently a high school student, aspires to be a doctor.
Watch Vani tell her story in this short video:
Or, watch the full event:
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