It was a privilege for Sustineo to hear from Naua how mabe pearl farming has changed her life. The potential of mabe pearl farming to improve livelihood opportunities for women is a key focus of our team's study on the socio-economic impacts of pearl farming in Fiji and Tonga.
In Vava’u, Tonga, Naua works at the Vava’u Pearl Centre as a Supervisor. As a single mother of five, Naua said that employment at the centre has changed her life. Increased income opportunities, training, and skills development through the centre, as well as a passion for dealing with people has made Naua proud to be, in her own words, a “hardworking mum”.
Not only is Naua a Supervisor at the centre, but she has recently started farming pearls herself. We hope that Naua’s growth through pearl farming continues. She's a great example of how programs like ACIAR’s pearl livelihoods project provide economic and training opportunities, changing lives in the process.