Mena Niue is a mother of nine from the Village of Leauva’a. 

The Village Voice caught up with the 34-year-old yesterday while working on the land which they look after.

The mother of nine works at the plantation.

 “We don’t live here permanently,” she said. “We are here to look after the land and work on the plantation. We live at the other side of the village and we have good access to water and electricity. 

“But right now the only person in the family with a job is my husband.

“He is a carpenter and I haven’t seen him almost a week. He’s a very hard working father.” 

Like most families, they struggle with money.

“For my family, you can see that we have children and they are our priority,” she said.

“We are determined to make sure our children are in school every day. It is not an easy task at all because it’s hard to earn money.”

Mena said she would love some help with her children’s school fees.

 “That is the only thing I would ask for,” she said.

 “I try to do my part in the family by working the land but it’s tough. We hardly have any money. I only get help when my children are back from school.”