Mother of five starts business to ensure her family is well-looked after and to also assist families who are struggling

To ensure that her family is well looked after during the lockdown period due to the second wave of the COVID-19 pandemic in Fiji, Asinate Segati took on the challenge to start her own business.

The Lomati villager was laid off from work in February because her workplace was shut down due to the financial difficulties brought about by the pandemic.

Segati says she was 4-months pregnant when she was laid off and thinking about how she could support her family was stressful.

She says her father motivated her to start her baking business and it was something she was passionate about.

The mother of five says things got challenging when her husband was also laid off from work, however, she is thankful that he has been supporting her business.

She adds the business also aims to educate her children not to rely on other people to survive.

Segati says she started her business by selling 10 roti parcels a day but as time went by, she ventured into selling doughnuts.

She says 10% of her profit goes to assisting other families who are facing difficulties and this is something she learnt from her parents.

She is also urging others not to see this pandemic as a problem but as a challenge that can be tackled.