Sagaga College fights poverty

By Vatapuia Maiava 17 March 2016, 12:00AM

The United Nations Development Programme (U.N.D.P) in Samoa is gearing up to celebrate the programme’s 50th anniversary.

A key part of their plan is using the opportunity to promote the recently launched Sustainable Development Goals (S.D.G). As a result, 17 schools in Samoa have been handed one S.D.G each to debate, discuss and promote in their own way.

Sagaga College in Afega has been allocated S.D.G 1, which is to ‘End poverty in all its forms everywhere.’

Yesterday, Principal Salā Sio Tipasa said they have already started their preparations.

“Each student has been given the task of writing a sentence of what poverty means to them which will help open their minds to the issue,” Salā said.

“At the moment there is not much we can do in terms of activities towards the issue because Easter is coming up and the school is preparing for that.”

But the school does have plans for the near future.

“We do have future plans for the S.D.G our school is tasked with and it will go in line with the school’s focus,” Salā said

“Education focuses on the future generation and to minimize the issue or to even get rid of it entirely we need to pay more attention to individual students and make sure that they perform well for the sake of their futures.”

The school has decided to focus on different areas that will help in the long run to fight against poverty.

“Academic processes deal with putting the emphasis on education and the key to fighting poverty is for our future generation to be well educated.

“We will also put more focus on targeting each individual student’s talents so that we can help them expose and develop it whether it be through sports, academics or even agriculture.”

According to Salā the exposure of student’s talents will expand their future choices giving them a better future outside of poverty.

The school is also going to work with other organizational programs that will give the students more of an insight of how to fight poverty.

“The Health Pacific group visited us and we have decided to allow the programme run in our school” Salā said

“This programme will help teach the students how to grow crops properly if they want a good future in agriculture. They will learn about different plants that could be used for consumption”

The school will try their best to prolong the program once they begin so that they may put more emphasis on agricultural lessons.

“Agriculture is also a good ‘fall-back’ plan for students who can’t find a job in the future” Salā said

“They will always have the skills and lessons about agriculture to give them a chance to still fight poverty and to provide for their family”

“We will welcome any other program from organizations that intertwines with the eliminating poverty and we will continue to work with the students to make sure their future is bright” Salā said

Salā is grateful for the initiative by U.N.D.P which reminds us of the importance of the S.D.G’s.

“The students can take away what they have learnt back to their homes and work with the community to fight poverty in Samoa” Salā said

“Thanks to the U.N.D.P for initiating this program and giving us the opportunity to focus on one of the most important issues Samoa faces.”

By Vatapuia Maiava 17 March 2016, 12:00AM
Samoa Observer

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