Widow Rosina rises from ashes

By ELIAS LARI
WHEN her businessman husband Barnabas Paraka died in a road accident in 2000, Rosina and her two daughters Daniela and Delvina were devastated.
But the 39-year-old from the Jika Nungapi clan in Mt Hagen, did not want to forever wallow in grief and self-pity for too long. She knew she had to stand on her own two feet and do something to support herself and her daughters.
Husband Barnabas from the Moge Komnuka tribe was a well-known businessman in Western Highlands. He had 11 children altogether from different wives.
He had Daniela and Delvina with Rosina, who later adopted two boys Derek and Luckland.
Widow Rosina did not want to depend on her relatives to support her. She set up a fast food outlet at Suwara next to the Mt Hagen main market. Of course as a business, it faced challenges and problems. But she decided to soldier on.
She had heard tales of widows and single mothers who became successful because they had courage and determination. He resolved to become one too.

“ I thank God for bringing me to this far. My encouragement to women and girls is to think big and make use of the opportunities that come before you. Fear and doubt are not for women who want to succeed”

She initially sold flour balls and when the business expanded, she moved to the AGC building in the city where she sold soft drinks, scones, candies and cigarettes.
“I began to get more customers. So I started investing in properties which was one of the businesses I was so interested in.”
Later she also started a rental car company and built a lodge at Tarangau in Mt Hagen.
“I thank God for bringing me to this far. My encouragement to women and girls is to think big and make use of the opportunities that come before you. Fear and doubt are not for women who want to succeed. We have to get rid of them and make our way up because life is there.”
She knows women traditionally have always been regarded as men’s partners in everything.
But when the men are gone, women must show they too have talents and the courage to go at it alone.
Today, Rosina is a happy mother after turning the sorrow of losing her husband into something positive.
“There are ways women can make a fresh start with or without anything. If they have faith, nothing is impossible.”
She sent her two daughters overseas to get the best education she can afford.
“Dreams are real and it needs a tough person to realise them.”
Rosina has also learned to deal with gossips, criticisms and challenges. She moves on with her life the best way she can. She describes trials and errors as good in testing one’s character.
“If you are a widow, widower or living in a broken marriage, there is a life out there. You need to adjust and aim high because you have the God-given potential in you.”