The family of one of the seven men still stranded in Tuvalu, after their employer Nawae Construction Ltd went out of business last year, wants their father back home with them.
Mrs. Pricilla Ronnie, the wife of Mr. Isaac Ronnie, said the family has moved out of their rental home and are currently living with relatives who are currently supporting them in a settlement in Lae city.
“We were unable to pay for the rent so we were removed from the property by the landlord. We are now living with my relatives,” she said.
The family has no money since June 2020 and all their four children are not in school this year because of no school fees.
Mrs. Ronnie said the eldest was supposed to do grade 9 this year, while the rest are still in primary school.
The family is finding it tough financially and they need their father to be here to support them.
Mrs. Ronnie is also appealing to the authorities and the government to consider the plight of her husband and the rest of the men in Tuvalu and help bring them back home to their families.
The seven men were employees of the now liquidated Nawae Construction. After the company went bankrupt last year, the men were left there in Tuvalu after a contract with a company over there ceased.
With no income for the past 21 fortnights, the men had to scratch a living from selling fish that they caught.
Meanwhile, the company in liquidation is no longer responsible for repatriation of the group out of Tuvalu and as such they will have to find their own way to return home.