Eleven-year-old Seirosa Wallwork Lamb is using this festive season to give back to the local community. 

Speaking to the Samoa Observer, she says all she wants this Christmas is to help people in need.

“For many people, Christmas is a time of sorrow,” Seirosa said. 

“They might not have the extra money to buy presents for their children, family, friends and turkey dinners may be only a wish.”

She believes we can change this. 

“Christmas can be a season of great joy. It is a time of God showing His great love for us. 

“It can be a time of healing and renewed strength too.”

And who better to inspire her, then her grandmother. 

“I have always been inspired by grandmother Su’a Julia Wallwork and her work with the Adventist Development and Relief Agency and the motto that they carry “Making a difference one life at a time’.

Seirosa said she decided to use her knowledge on health to help people because she had always topped her school on this subject. 

“I believe that most household should have a first aid kit for all sorts of diseases and injuries.

“People should be taking these matters very seriously because health is a no laughing matter.

“And when injuries get infected, it can sometimes lead to sickness and result in death and hearing also about dengue fever and all those different diseases, I don’t think it should be taken as a laughing matter.

“I also think that it is always good to have antiseptics, Panadol and Dettol at hand.”

However in any project, one must look for ways to finance the initiative. 

And for Seirosa, selling baked cookies was her source of income. 

“I’ve decided to fundraise by selling cookies to raise money to make homemade first aid kits.

“And since my grandmother is giving out some presents for those people who are in need who had their stories published in the newspaper, I thought I could also give the first aid kits with my grandmother’s presents.

“As soon my school holidays started, I jumped straight into selling my baked sale and from that time until now, I managed to raise $1,057.

“I hope these will make a difference to all the families who will be getting these and hopefully it will make a difference in their lives.

“It’s not much, but Christmas is all about giving and nothing would make me happy than to know that I was part of the Christmas spirit programme that my grandmother was working on.”