Family faces water and electricity woes

By Aruna Lolani 13 April 2017, 12:00AM

Magea Letoga’s struggles are real.  

But in 2017, you’d think he and his family would do a bit better. Not exactly.

The family at Fasito’o-Uta do not have electricity and a steady supply of running water.

The problem is they cannot afford the installation costs for both water and electricity since their house is far from the main road.

Magea, 53, said when it gets dark, the $2 lanterns from the Chinese shop are a lifesaver.

Magea’s wife works. She is paid $140 a week. At their house, Magea says the biggest concern is having no water.

“Right now, we don’t have any water pipes coming to our house,” Magea told the Village Voice.

“We’ve lived here for more than a year now and we still can’t get our own water because we don’t have enough money.

“In order to get by on a day to day basis, we have to go to our neighbours to ask for some water.

“If there’s one thing our family really needs it’s a steady supply of water.

 “Water is needed for cooking and if the water isn’t clean then it’s a health risk.”

Magea said they are constantly looking for water.

“It’s hard to find water but it’s a must because we have children.

“We used to live at Lefaga but once my wife’s mother passed away, we decided to develop our own family here. 

“To be honest, we are still going to try and save up enough money to get our own pipes and our own electricity.”

With one person working to provide for six people in the family, they simply don’t have enough. 

Magae isn’t ashamed to admit that his family is in need of help.

 “Right now all we need is water and then electricity later. Even with the state of house we have it is also not a major problem,” he said.

“It’s not easy but I am trying my best for the sake of my children. I am not ashamed to admit that we need help.”

If you want to help Magea and his family, they can be contacted on 7239906

By Aruna Lolani 13 April 2017, 12:00AM
Samoa Observer

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