By CFO Riiteta Tiim
Rewritten by GYO Teruabine Nuariki
Kontitan Mikaere, 25 years of age is one of our farmer’s successful youth who is the eldest in his family and lives with his mother and young siblings. Since his father died in his young age, he became a breadwinner for his family. He loves working in his giant swamp taro pit. Being a quiet and introvert person, he finds it difficult to seek assistance from others and was not able to join KOIFAWP’s Phase one project.
In the roll of KOIFAWP’s Phase ll in 2019, Riiteta Tiim, a CFO from Teuabu village in Nonouti approached him and asked if he is willing to join the home gardening. He gladly accepted the invitation and finding it a blessing since he has been longing for help on home gardening. CFO Riiteta has a vision for Kontitan for his great passion designates this babai pit to be used as a demonstration plot and works hard on it. He started cleaning the plot. Despite the heat of the sun and his struggle in using his human power in digging and filling of holes with compost, he enjoys what he was doing knowing that as a breadwinner, this will help him in getting his daily food and income to support his family’s needs.
When his terracing pit was filled and ready, he asked the CFO to check it out with Agricultural Assistant so the CFO and AA came to assist him in organising his food crops in his farm.
Above: Kontitan Mikaere (25 years old) working his babai pit terracing demo.
Below: Kontitan Mikaere enjoys his farm.
Kontitan expressed his gratitude for the help he has received from the KOIFAWP team and said, “ My sincere thanks to this project as now I am able to have skills and knowledge which I have been longing for because I am very keen in gardening but do not have the skills. I use to think that only our parents are responsible to work in gardens but now I realised that, I like other youth, can make a difference in taking responsibility because we are youth and strong. Now I am challenging my fellow youth to take responsibility in working in our gardens because we are young and strong. If I can do, why can’t others do the same?”
Kontitan is a first youth member from his respective village and island whose farm is used as a demo plot. He is one of our determined youth gardener’s activist.