Vulnerable families at Faleasi’u get help*

21 February 2018, 12:00AM

PR - Imagine not having access to a consistent water supply for the family’s everyday use. 

To sleep every night knowing that they are to make two to three trips back and forth in the scorching sun to collect water just to get by on a daily basis the next day.  

For the past 15 years since Fesolai Alo and his family lived in inland at Lealaalii - Faleasiu, it is the everyday norm for him and some of his children to make these trips in order for their family to get water. 

 “We have had some good days when it rains so it saves us a trip for the day,” Mr. Alo says. “But on not so good days, it is a struggle for me and my family to try and save the little water that we are able to collect. This is very hard especially for a family of 10 adults and four children.”

The good news is that Mr. Alo will no longer have to do that.

Earlier in 2017, C.S.S.P. worked with Fatuaiupu Consult, S.U.N.G.O. and S.B.E.C. to assist the 15 additional villages pre-selected under the Pilot Programme for Climate Resilience (P.P.C.R.) to access funds up to $50,000 for village development projects. 

The Enhancing the Climate Resilience of Coastal Resources and Communities (E.C.R.) Project is supported by the P.P.C.R. of the Climate Investment Funds, which aims to provide incentives for scaled-up action and transformational change in integrating climate resilience into Samoa’s development strategies and programmes. 

The villages/districts, with P.P.C.R.-E.C.R. project support, are to implement priority adaptation measures to manage climate and disaster-related threats and to strengthen information services and institutional arrangements for climate and disaster resilience. 

The selection of the 15 additional villages listed below came through the Ministry of Natural Resources and Environment – Community Integration Management Plans team: Fasito’o Tai Vailu’u Tai Faleatiu Satapuala Samea Lepale (Fasito’o – uta) Satui & Avano (Fasito’o –uta) Sailoa & Matailiili (Fasito’o – uta) Lealaalii & Sapulu (Faleasi’u) Tauo’o & Moamoa (Faleasi’u) Malie Tuanai Utualii Nofoalii Leulumoega.     

Mr. Alo and his family is one of the 28 families from Sapulu and Lealaalii whom are recipients of water tanks. These families have been visited and verified by C.S.S.P. and a technical team which include representatives from the World Bank and M.N.R.E. [P.U.M.A. Division]. 

Said Fonoti Ferron Fruean, C.S.S.P. Project Officer – P.P.C.R.: “These families were identified by the Village Representative (V.R.) (sui o le Malō) as the most vulnerable because of their settlement location within the village. Their water supply is inconsistent.”  

“Water is a priority area hence why the village opted to put through in their proposal the families in this certain area of Sapulu and Lealaalii to address the issue of water supply in the village.” 

Ailua Sauvao, the focal person for the water tank project of Sapulu and Lealalii, stated: “Before this support was given, some of these families suffered in the hot sun to collect and transport by foot water for their families inland.”  

“So for these families to receive these water tanks saves them time, money and energy.  Not only that, having water tanks helps improve the hygiene of these families.”

Siai Misa, also a recipient of a water tank, is grateful.

“Getting a water tank for our family has helped us greatly with our water needs. We can drink clean water and we are also able to use tank water for cooking. We are very happy to be able to have a more consistent supply.” 

According to Mrs. Sauvao, the village is a third-time recipient of water tanks from development partners, but with the growing population of Sapulu and Lealaalii, there are still a lot more families that have moved inland and are in need of support to access a consistent water supply.  

 “Sapulu and Lealaalii are very grateful to both World Bank and C.S.S.P. for the funding to implement this community development project that provides consistent supply for these 28 vulnerable families,” she said. 

“This is certainly building the resilience of our communities especially in times of natural disasters.”   Another 58 additional villages are currently working with A.D.R.A., S.U.N.G.O, Samoa Red Cross Society and C.S.S.P. to formulate projects for funding under the programme. Twenty-eight have been approved for funding, twenty nine village proposals are currently being assessed.  This component is implemented under a partnership with M.N.R.E., K.V.A. and C.S.S.P.

 

*This Press Release was initially published on the front page of the Samoa Observer under the headline “Families without water are begging Prime Minister Tuilaepa for help.”


21 February 2018, 12:00AM
Samoa Observer

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