1. GREGORY F. CASAGRANDE

The impact of the assistance from the South Pacific Business Development (SPBD) Foundation on the lives of thousands of Samoans is immeasurable.
It touches the lives of many families annually with the organisation making available micro loans to start off businesses to earn cash to improve the quality of their lives.

Gregory F. Casagrande is the founder and chairman of SPBD.
More important than the money is the education in how to use it profitably which the organisation provides before a loan is granted.
Of equal importance is the attitude of entrepreneurship fostered.
Mr Casagrande believes entrepreneurship means freedom, for it places no ceiling on the amount of potential earnings, unlike a job where a worker earns a set salary.
In developing countries like Samoa where jobs are severely limited, “poverty of opportunities” is a huge problem.

And that’s where SPBD comes in.
“Now the issue we address is poverty of opportunity,” said Mr. Casagrande.
Such poverty exists at the bottom half of society where employment for wages does not exist.
SPBD works with women who want self-employment to earn enough money to pay for basic services like electricity, piped running water, improved sanitation and better housing.
“I think initiative is the key,” Mr. Casagrande said of the loan applicants.
“They’re not waiting for the Government to give them jobs. They’re not waiting for the Government to give them handouts.”
Success is more fulfilling because of that, the SPBD founder said.
The reward is not just financial, however.
Women who achieve increased financial well-being gain a sense of empowerment and lifted self-esteem and pride.
Mr. Casagrande said this filters down to the children who see their mothers achieve a sense of pride from their work.

Such empowerment is a gift and individuals like the SPBD founder deserves a pat on the back for providing an opportunity for Samoans to achieve it.
Mr. Casagrande has a BA from Colgate University, an MS from New York University and an MBA from the Kellogg School of Northwestern University. He is also a Certified Public Accountant.
He studied microfinance firsthand in Bangladesh, India and Africa and has lectured on the topic at universities and conferences throughout the Pacific and Asia.

Prior to launching SPBD, Mr. Casagrande worked in various financial and general management positions for Ford Motor Company in Detroit, Chicago and Japan. He began his career with Coopers and Lybrand in New York City.
In addition to SPBD, he also serves on the Board of Trustees of PlaNet Finance (www.planetfinance.org), a global microfinance funding, technical service providing and rating organization, The Prague Institute (www.pragueinstitute.org), a global urban development think-tank, and the United Nations International Year of Microcredit 2005 (www.yearofmicrocredit.org)Board of Patrons. Mr. Casagrande is also involved in New Zealand based venture capital


2. SEVE PEPE TONY HILL

Where ever there is an emergency, the clean-shaven dome of Seve Pepe Tony Hill can often be seen there.
His is often the first face seen at emergencies like fires and traffic accidents.
Appointed as the first Commissioner for Samoa Fire Services and Emergencies Authority when it became an independent entity, Seve’s approach to his job is a hands-on one.
He does not like sitting at the office and directing operations through the wireless radio.
Knowing full well the limited finances most government bodies operate under, Seve scrounges here, overseas and anywhere for equipment and building materials to increase the capabilities of his unit.
A case in point is the newly opened Faleata Fire Station at Tuana’imato, only the second such facility in Upolu.

Former staff of the former Department of Public Works might recognise the steel frames of the fire station building since they came from an unused departmental building.
Seve is aiming for an emergency services unit that is as well trained and well equipped.
Last heard, they are converting two Toyota Landcruisers into mini-fire engines so that equipment can be taken closer to fires quicker, via the smaller vehicles.
The fires at the Asau/Aopo area this year underlined that need. The normal-sized fire engines could not enter the rugged terrain deep into the forests there.
At no time in the history of this country have emergency services been more prepared to spring into action than now.
That has been due in no small part to the work of Seve Pepe Tony Hill.


3. VAIMASENU’U ZITA SEFO-MARTEL  

Fautasi racing is for men and boys.  
That was until several years ago when Vaimasenu’u Zita Sefo-Martel entered as a captain of one of the fautasi. It added novelty to an already popular sport.  
This year, Vaimasenu’u achieved victory not once but twice, taking out both the fautasi races held during the Teuila Festival, as captain of Digicel Segavao II.
Battered by bad publicity associated with a riot in the capital earlier in the year, the crew, students of Don Bosco Technical Centre, adopted a steely determination to redeem the good name of their school through victory on the water.

They needed to work hard and did so by focusing on Vaimasenu’u’s forefinger demanding from them a “One Beat.”
With victories on the water secured, Vaimasenu’u popped up in front of the nation as a news presenter for SQB TV1.
It was to help out – for free – friend Galumalemana Faiesea Lei Sam-Matafeo, head of the television station, who this year started life as an entity independent of Government.
Little known is that Vaimasenu’u was no stranger to the media having as a scholarship student spent her holidays working for state radio 2AP, and later, in 1985, worked for Radio NZ 3ZM, Christchurch, New Zealand.

She first broke the gender barrier in Samoa in 2000 when she was appointed Honorary Consul of France.
She is now the owner and Managing Director of Polynesian Xplorer, an inbound tourism operator company.
To explain the variety of jobs perhaps the answer is contained in what she told an interviewer in 2005 which was, “unless you live and love to the fullest, and do something beyond what you have mastered, you will never grow.”


4. MASOE IOSEFA TAUTUA

There are victims of abuse and exploitation who suffer silently. They are unheard by the judiciary because of cracks in the system or the purposeful oversight of the procedures in the system by those who should be following them in order for justice to be achieved.
Set up in 2006, the Samoa Victim Support Group (SVSG) would have none of that if they can help it.  
They are an outlet for victims of crime who are too weak financially and in status to have their grievances heard.

SVSG speaks for them. This year, the group’s spokesman, Masoe Iosefa Tautua, has been doing an excellent job.
For instance, Masoe has come out against parents sending children out to sell leis of flowers at night, calling it exploitation.
The children were also picking up behaviour they see at night.

Masoe said, “that’s one way of socialising children. By just observing from the behaviour of those people who are drunk at night, and because we have heard and we saw that some of these children are starting to smoke.”
Some may criticise SVSG for being over zealous but they, through Masoe, are saying what needs to be said about the ills that exist in our society.
We need to hear them.


5. PESETA CECILIA SALA PINATI

Eating out is supposed to be a luxury.
Yet for many working in town, going home for lunch is not an option.
But there and ready as always is Pinati’s Restaurant.
It continues to offer a simple quick curry or a curry/chop suey “mix” for a decent price – not above $4 that is.
On occasion, cooking at home in the evenings seems too tiresome a task and time won’t permit it.
For sheer reliability over the years at those times, Pinati always offer a simple yet filling and balanced meal.

When food prices were at their heaviest earlier in the year, the restaurant stuck to its prices which our people have come to love.
Managing Pinati’s throughout the years has been Peseta Cecilia Sala Pinati.
Their restaurant has become an institution and is an advertisement for service that is simple, reasonable and reliable.
Thank you Peseta and we’ll see you next year!


6. ELE OPELOGE

Ele Opeloge came within a whisker of winning Samoa’s first Olympic Games medal.
She was one kilogramme away from creating history.
At previous Olympics, Samoans went to make up the numbers.
There is now a quiet belief that an Olympic medal is no longer a matter of if but when.
Such self-belief is a powerful thing.
If Ele Opeloge can stay free of injury and maintain her commitment to the sport, she could be the one to win that illusive Olympic medal.

Realistically, weightlifting is one of the sports where Samoans can compete in internationally, if physique is considered.
Sports experts say Polynesians possess the physique for the sport in body mass and the power they generate.
But more important is discipline and dedication to keep training for weeks ahead of competitions.
Opeloge has those attributes to offer fellow athletes especially in her sport.
We wish her well.


7. TO’OA KRISTIN TAYLOR

To’oa Kristin Taylor believes Christianity is about action not just words.
That is the clear message sent out by her work of charity in Samoa over the years through her Thankfully Helping Others in Real Need (THORN) Ministry.
The late Head of State, Malietoa Tanumafili II recognised this early in the ministry’s work in Samoa.
He bestowed the To’oa title on Kristin Taylor.
One admirer wrote to her saying, “I want to thank you for your love and commitment to the people of Samoa …. You’ve probably done more for our country in just a few short years than many of us, combined, have been able to do for our own people.”

When it comes to the neediest of the needy, no Samoan falls into that category better than Miracletina Nanai, or Baby Miracle.
To’oa, THORN colleague, Papali’i Carol Ah Chong and Associate Minister Hans Joachim Keil, organised for the baby whose life was threatened by her severe deformities, to undergo surgery in Florida.
It was the sort of effort only the truly Christian make for a fellow human being.
Those involved in the effort to make Miracletina’s life better go beyond the three people mentioned of course.
But we must pay tribute to To’oa for establishing the link to medical care in the United States which other Samoan children have benefited from – and for the underlying Christian love that fuels her works of charity.
We do so here.



8. SINA RETZLAFF-LIMA

When economic matters of national importance unfold, views from the private sector are keenly needed to offer a perspective for the public.
In the past, none were forthcoming with any great regularity.
Government would get away with the most outrageous and insane statements about economical matters. Many people would be none the wiser except the members of the private sector who would moan and groan in agony among themselves.
Now, under its first woman president, Sina Retzlaff-Lima, the Samoa Chamber of Commerce, the symbol of the private sector, does not suffer so much from that problem.

A change in gender at the top it seems has caused a change in output in that regard.
There is more preparedness by the Chamber to say what it thinks.
Few issues of consequence have passed without comment as a consequence and this is a productive development in 2008.
It is only through active and public inter-action between the public and private sector that the often stated goal of a partnership between them can be judged.

The often-stated goal by Government of creating an environment conducive to business can only be measured as to its sincerity if the private sector reports on its success or otherwise.
It has to, in other words, speak out.
This is why Mrs Retzlaff-Lima’s efforts, and that of the Chamber’s executive working with her to issue statements for the public, have been particularly welcomed.
They have an educational impact on debate of the economy, the health of which all of us has a stake.
They have created a forum for discussion of the economy which has largely been non-existent until this year.



9. SEFULU MOLESI PUPUALI’I

As a registered nurse and midwife, Sefulu Molesi Pupuali’i has not joined the queue to find better pay overseas.
Instead, if you turn up at the Maternity Ward at the Tupua Tamasese Meaole Hospital, she is cheerfully accepting the pay and the much maligned working conditions.
No doubt her family would have benefited financially had she migrated overseas, but not the country.
Mrs. Pupuali’i heads the maternity ward at Tupua Tamasese Meaole Hospital where she has worked for 27 years.
She has three children.

She has been working as a nurse since she graduated in 1981.
Her first post was at Lalomanu District Hospital before she took up midwifery.
She comes from the village of Matautu, Apia and Salua, Manono.
Mrs. Pupuali’i represents the many nurses who thankfully have stuck around to continue serving Samoa throughout the years.
We say thank you to them. We also want to acknowledge the hard work of all the doctors and nurses at the national hospital.



10. SHEREE STEHLIN

When Women in Business was established, it went about its task quietly for the most part.   
But the culmination of all the years of steady progress appears to be building up to an explosion of successes, the most grand of which is a partnership with cosmetics giant, Body Shop, for the supply of coconut oil which is set to launch next June.
We mention Sheree Stehlin because she served five years as president of Women in Business when all this was happening. She represents all members of the group past and present who have contributed; who have, as she has done, served on the board for free.
Their task is to find niche markets for organic agricultural products to meet the need for cash in the community.
“We’re facilitators for the farmers,” said Ms Stehlin, who stepped down as president this year but continues as a board member.

Apart from coconut oil, markets for coffee and other products have been found; a trial shipment of misiluki bananas is being prepared.
These are small markets, says Director Adimaimalaga Tafuna’i.
“We think small because we are small,” she says.
But the farmers benefit directly with no big factories in between them and markets.
The Tindall Foundation has joined Oxfam New Zealand and NZAid as funders, donating a truck for the transport of coconut oil, said Ms. Stehlin.

More projects than ever are developing with further progress occurring in the New Year.
“It’s exciting,” says Ms. Tafuna’i.
Politicians and the media talk about the need to inject cash into the rural community, Women in Business and their leaders like Ms. Stehlin, are doing exactly that in a very direct, effective, way.
Without their board members like Ms. Stehlin, staff like her can’t do their work on the ground, Ms. Tafuna’i says.


11. UALE MAI

He came to Upolu to find a job to look after his family in Savai’i.
Instead of finding a job, Uale Mai played rugby for Marist.
It’s a decision he will not regret.
This year has been a fantastic one for Sevens captain and magician.
Having guided the Manu Samoa Sevens to two titles on the International Rugby Board Sevens (IRB) Series, the man better known as Vala, also played an integral part in Manu Samoa’s rebuilding phase under new coach, Tuala Lepale Niko Palamo.

Two years ago, he became the first Samoan to win the IRB Sevens player of the Year award.
Two weeks ago, the 30-year-old from Vailoa, Palauli, was honoured as Samoa’s finest rugby player for 2008, during the inaugural Samoa Rugby Awards, at Hotel Kitano Samoa.
Mai won three awards, among them the Overall Player the Year, edging out Manu Samoa hooker, Loleni Tafuna’i and teammate, Alatasi Tupou, for the honour.
Speaking on the night of the awards, Mai dedicated his achievements to his late father.
“I wish you were here,” he said of his father who has passed away.


12. NINA NETZLER-VON REICHE

The Ministry of Health has always insisted on exercising but not many people in the corporate community cared until Nina Netzler-von Reiche decided to do something about it.
The introduction of her 12 weeks challenge programme has got a whole heap of people thinking about better health and fitness.
“If you haven’t heard of The Challenge, chances are you have been living in cave,” she often writes in the Samoa Observer.  
The Challenge is a programme which encourages healthy living and commitment to exercise.
“Beginning from a random email sent out in January this year, to a handful of contacts the challenge is now in its third round, the first attracting 77 registrations, growing to 112 for the second round to now over 150 registered challengers,” she wrote in her Sunday Samoan column in October.

“Due to a disproportionately high incidence of obesity in urban Samoa and after being prompted by Dr Malama Tafunai (a local general practitioner now practicing in Kataia, New Zealand), the Challenge was born to service what was seen as a need for people to access information and provide a monitoring mechanism so that individuals could track, monitor and become accountable for their health and wellbeing goals.”
Mrs Netzler-von Reiche has also introduced a special Xtreme Challenge, geared towards individuals with a high, commitment to making some radical changes to their lifestyles.

Mrs Netzler-von Reiche is a Certificate IV qualified personal trainer and rehabilitation trainer.
Her main message is entrenched with the need to strip down to basics for clarity and performance.
She runs her own personal training business, and is co-founder of corporate health company, Xtreme Performance.  
An Australian publication, “Switched on Health Professionals” features Nina’s concepts of health and wellbeing.

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