Life doesn’t have to be difficult, and in Savai’i, although opportunities are limited, some people make the most of what they have.

With beautiful white sandy beaches and the fruits of their labour, Fa’ailoga Tautai, believes every day is a gift.

The mother works hard to look after her family.

The 54-year-old is originally from Ti’avea but now lives at Sapini Faga with her husband, Tautai Tamaseu.

“Here, it is peaceful and quiet, it’s very simple,” said Mrs. Tautai. 

For survival, they depend on the fruits of the land.

“This is what I do every day, I sell Samoan cocoa in our small market on the road,” she said. 

“And this is how I earn a living for my family.” 

Tautai said there are only four people in her family.

One of Tautai’s sons works for a bus company while another is still in school. 

“My son doesn’t earn that much but whatever we earn we save it for my youngest son’s school and for our family’s daily needs.” 

“If it’s a good day, we make $200 but if it’s a bad day then we only make $5 to $10, but we are still happy.

“Sometimes we run out of cocoa fruits from our plantation then we buy them from the market stalls in Salelologa so that we can produce more cocoa for sale. 

“We spend money to get money that’s what we do.”

Tautai also said her husband has a large extended family who look after each other.

“Sometimes my in-laws get to share whatever they get so that we can keep our family close to each other.” 

“That’s why our family sometimes, we create activities to keep ourselves occupied all the time.

“Sometimes we work in our garden and make sure it’s clean and this contributes to the beautification programs initiated by the government.

“Especially this village, you can see that it’s all clean and the air is always fresh because our village councils encouraged us to do so. 

“Us women have our own gatherings (falelalaga)and every woman in our family is required to participate.

“We believe that it is another way to help us build our families because we can always earn money from the fine mats we weave.”