Mother seeks help for water tank

By Nefertiti Matatia 03 April 2018, 12:00AM

Lata Poe is in need of a water tank.

An unemployed mother of two, from the village of Aleisa, she spoke up about the challenges they face with the lack of water supply.

Having access to water supply makes everyday life convenient for her family.

But there is nothing that could be done when there is no money, she says.

“There are three of us adults that are living here and the biggest problem that we are facing is the lack of water,” Mrs. Poe shared with the Village Voice team. 

“All of the houses around this area have water meter except for our family. They have disconnected our water supply.

“We have gone to the Samoa Water Authority but they said we should settle our $900 bill first before further actions.

“So ever since then we have been living without any water supply,” said the 26-year-old.

She lives with her elderly father-in-law and her young children. 

“With water, chores are made much simpler and not every day it rains, but people like us rely on rainwater. 

“The iron gallons that we are using have rusted and it is not safe to store water for drinking so we have to fetch our buckets of water from a different family that lives close by.

“It is only then that we are certain that the water we are drinking is safe.”

Mrs. Poe also mentioned their housing condition.

“The house was ruined by Tropical Cyclone Gita. Most of the iron roofing was blown away, including our kitchen.

“The only space in our house that is safe is where we sleep at but the whole area leaks. We have had this house for a very long time, for 58 years now.

“My husband usually goes around looking for available timber to fix up the house. He does all these things for the sake of his father and our two children. 

“His mother just passed away recently so it is just us who live here.”

She explained that nobody in their family works. They rely on the land for survival. They have to pay $900 to reconnect their tap water.

“We sell our crops and we usually make $200 a day whenever we sell our crops.

“People may think that is a lot of money, but we have a family that we need to feed and kids who are still young and needs to be taken care of.

“Life is not easy, everything has become pricey and with the money that we would earn, it is spent on cash power, grocery shopping for the week and the small things that we need at home. 

“Saving money is an illusion because it does not mean that we would be able to put money aside when we have family matters that are happening.

“Family commitment is something that we cannot run from.”

For anyone who is willing to help Mrs. Poe’s family, contact the number 7244296.

By Nefertiti Matatia 03 April 2018, 12:00AM
Samoa Observer

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