Meet Virginia. When Virginia felt like her world was crumbling around her, she clung to her work as a coconut farmer to provide for her family. Virginia and her husband farmed together and had a happy marriage for many years, but his bad habits began to take over. He was unfaithful to her, and that created a large divide with the rest of the family.
Virginia was heartbroken and started to struggle with anxiety and depression. She lost her sense of purpose and direction, constantly feeling like she was wandering aimlessly. What kept Virginia going was her love for her children– she knew they could not make it without her so she carried on.
She had spent her career selling copra, the dried sections of the meat of the coconut, but it was barely enough to make ends meet. Buyers would often take advantage of farmers, not give them fair prices, and require them to prepare the copra for them. When Virginia heard about the opportunity to partner with Dignity she was amazed. Dignity buys the whole coconut, rather than just the dried copra, to save farmers the work and time of processing and cooking it. Not only that, but they offered fair prices that were higher than market prices.
Virginia is thankful for how Dignity has changed her life and given back to the community. She is passionate about the impact and is an integral member of Dignity. Virginia is able to provide for her family with a new sense of peace and security, and has even seen her family reconcile. With changed actions, her husband returned and Virginia knows that they will be able to endure any challenge. Her dream of giving her family a better life is finally a reality.
