Mother works hard for her children

By Sarafina Sanerivi 20 January 2017, 12:00AM

Things may be hard in life, but if you make your loved ones your motivation, you can definitely make the impossible possible. 

That’s how Fa’afotu Leati from the village of Le’auva’a sees life. 

The 50-year-old is a mother of 5 children.

In an interview with Village Voice yesterday, Fa’afotu said life in Samoa is very expensive.

“This is the one thing I’ve noticed here in Samoa is that the cost of living is very high,” she said.

“That’s making things hard for some families, like us. For our family, we have five children, but my eldest is in New Zealand and the other four are with us.

“We depend mainly on the land to provide for us.”

Fa’afotu said they own a big plantation in the village of Safotu in Savaii.

That’s their main source of income. The plantation contains not only taro but also vegetables.

“We grow cabbages, tomatoes, cucumbers and others. That does not only help out with food for our families, but also in terms of money.

“We sell our vegetables and the money we get from it helps us with all the things we need for our families.”

Moreover, Fa’afotu said none of them work. 

She and her husband are both working on their plantations to provide for their family.

It may be hard, but Fa’afotu admits that she strongly believes that it is all worth it.

“We all know that we don’t get anything by just sitting at home and doing nothing.

“You have to work and sweat; and that’s the case for me and my husband. It’s hard, but it is all worth it. 

“We do things together, we help one another and we work hard each and every day all for my children.

“All parents want their children to grow up and be successful in life. And in order for that to happen, they need to be educated.

“Our duty as parents is to look after them and make sure that they get educated.”

Said Fa’afotu, her children are her treasures and that’s why she works hard every day.

“You won’t remember all the pain and hard work you had to do once you see your children with smiles on their faces.

“I am happy to do this because I want to provide for them and give them what they want.

“Right now, I am selling fruit salad on the side of the road to earn money and we are saving it up for my children’s school fees and stationeries.

“I get more than a hundred each day from selling this and it’s helping us a lot.”

By Sarafina Sanerivi 20 January 2017, 12:00AM
Samoa Observer

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