How to address poverty

By Ilia L Likou 12 November 2017, 12:00AM

Poverty is a consequence of the lack of actions to make one’s life better.

What we can do is resist it by utilising the resources we have been given.

That is the perspective of Fotuipule Iese from Si’ufaga, Savai’i.

The 50-year-old told the Village Voice team that he was a hardworking farmer, he planted taro and was also a fisherman.

“I’m working on my own and that keeps me and my family going all the time,” he said.  

“When I was little, I looked at how my parents worked to provide for me and I’ve learned from them because they are hardworking people.”

“I thank God for my parents because it has allowed me to be good example to my children.”

“My parents reminded me and my other siblings when we were young that those who are not working are the ones complain about everything.”

He knows the cost of living and how expensive life is nowadays.

“Personally for those who are working, they know how it is, they know how to handle it all, not just sitting around and doing nothing,” Fotuipule said.

“For the high cost of living, I believe this is not the right time to be lying on the bed all day, it’s time to get up and do something useful for the good of our children and their future.”

“We all know the answer, if we wait for a miracle to come we will starve to death and we will struggle for the rest of our life.”

He added a person was poor and had nothing because they were not working.

“Your wealth comes from your work,” Fotuipule says.

“Not from somewhere else, we should stop worrying too much and let’s work. We all know that no matter how hard we try to voice out everything and the high cost of living to the government, they just don’t care!”

Fotuipule is also a loving father to his children. 

“I told them, if you want good things in the future, you have got to work,” Fotuipule said.

“They might not be as hard working as me, but if they keep on living this kind of life then I can imagine them to be depending on other people in the future.”

“I don’t want them to depend on other people to do things for them or buy what they want.”

“That’s how it is nowadays but the thing about people who are like that, they complain too much about life.”

“They don’t work but they always complain and the only thing they get is nothing.”

“My advice is quit complaining and make use of our resources. There’s a lot you can get from doing this.”

By Ilia L Likou 12 November 2017, 12:00AM
Samoa Observer

Upgrade to Premium

Subscribe to
Samoa Observer Online

Enjoy unlimited access to all our articles on any device + free trial to e-Edition. You can cancel anytime.

>