Water connects every living thing in this world but how can it not be available to all?

A question that was raised by Filipo Egelagi of Fasito’o-tai and Pu’apu’a Savaii.

Mr. Egelagi is a father of 7 children, six of them currently in school and one who has a family of her own now. 

The 50-year-old told Village Voice that water is the only thing he needs help with.

“It’s true my family stays in the inner village but for me, most of the time I’m here in the forestry area, sleeping here on most nights because I want to look after my plantation.

“Despite the fact that there’s no water here, I still stay here because this is where I do my work.

“At the moment, I’m using some old broken freezers to store water but I always get my water from the inner village and that’s far away from here.”

Mr. Egelagi said there was a programme that donated water tanks for farmers staying in the area he’s at but unfortunately he wasn’t donated one.

“They told me I couldn’t get one unless my whole family stays in this area together with me, permanently. 

“It’s not fair because I stay here most of the time, sure,  maybe there are times when I visit my family but I always come back here because my plantation needs to be taken care of.

“They don’t understand that this plantation is my way of making a living. 

“The government’s water doesn’t reach to this point but it should, because our plantations need water as much as we do.

“The government should at least help us with some water tanks so we can store water and as you can see, the number of families and people staying here is starting to increase.

“And they have to pay delivery trucks sometimes to deliver their water back and forth from the inner village. 

“We need water and we deserve to have water.

“My source of income is from selling taro and nonu; especially nonu because I sell it everyday.

“I delivered to C.C.K. and also to some families at Vaivase, and they need water so they can keep on growing.

“Water represents life and without it, it’s a difficult world to survive in.”