Begum seeks assistance to rebuild her home as termites have almost destroyed it

Lautoka resident, Shameem Begum says her house is in desperate need of repair as termites have almost destroyed it.

Begum and her two sons are living in just one room of her house in Tomuka Settlement in Lautoka.

Begum is one of the many who has undergone training with FRIEND Fiji which she says has helped her learn to manage her horticultural and farming business that she operates from Lautoka Market.

She says she has been a single parent for 16 years and has worked tirelessly to support her two sons through a lot of struggles.

Begum says there was no assistance provided or she did not know how to access the assistance but when she saw the opportunity to learn how to run a business and expand her skill set to grow her business through training with FRIEND about ten years ago, she took it.

She says she has taken part in about 9 workshops so far on topics such as business management, oil infusion, soap making and finance management.

Begum says she is using her skills to take care of their needs but repairing her home will require assistance.

She says because she is living in an informal settlement, she does not qualify for government assistance or a loan from financial institutions.

The single mother says she is planning to set up a GoFundMe page to rebuild her home. If you want to assist Begum rebuild her home, you can call her on 2096266 or email her on jodananursery@gmail.com