Development is needed in the rural areas

By Sarafina Sanerivi 28 November 2016, 12:00AM

“What’s good for Apia is also good for Fagaloa.”

That is the opinion o Pita Leausa, a 41 father of five from the village of Uafato Fagaloa. 

 Pita told the Village Voice that life is great in the villages. 

However, Pita said the only problem they face is that there are not enough job opportunities in the villages for the people living there. 

“Most people here depend on their lands for a living,” he said. 

“That’s the only thing we can do to earn money. 

All the big companies and development are in Apia, and that’s why more and more people from the urban areas migrate to the city of Apia. 

“We also have some people working in Apia, but the problem is that it is very far from us. Hence why most of us work our lands.”

Pita went on to say that they are hoping that the development would be decentralized to the rural areas as well. 

“We would love to have some other options or opportunities back here in the rural areas for our people to turn to in order to earn money for a living. 

 “More people move to the city leaving their lands uncultivated because they want to find a better future. 

“But as you can see, the number of people living in town is growing and that’s why we have many problems, like fighting over lands, pollution and many other problems. 

“But if we have more opportunities here in the villages and the rural areas, it will keep our people here with their families, instead of moving to Apia.”

Moreover, Pita also believes that this is a good strategy for the future generation of our country. 

“Unemployment  is one of the major problems we have in Samoa. And in the rural areas, you can find a lot of youths without jobs. 

“So they help out with the plantation and chores at home. I am not saying that is a bad thing. It is good for them, but I know some of them are capable of doing other things but there are not enough opportunities for them. 

“So if we decentralize the development of our country to the rural areas now, it will benefit the future s of our country. 

“And this will always keep our families from moving to the urban areas.”

Moreover Pita thinks that families will be reunited and complete if we do this. 

“That’s one of the reasons why I am hoping for more job opportunities here in the rural areas. 

“So our relatives who are struggling to pay rent and lands in Apia can all move back to their lands in the rural areas and be with their families. 

“Also so that most of our children working in Apia can spend times with their families and parents and work here at the same time. 

“Because to me, this is one of the reasons why there are a lot of problems involving the youth nowadays. 

“Children don’t spend enough time with their parents and families, and are influenced by other children living in Apia.”

Other than that, Pita said everything is great in the rural areas of Samoa. 

“Like I mentioned before, we depend so much on our lands for money and food. 

“And we are used to this kind of lifestyle. Life is peaceful here and there are hardly any problems within our village.”

By Sarafina Sanerivi 28 November 2016, 12:00AM

Trending Stories

Samoa Observer

Upgrade to Premium

Subscribe to
Samoa Observer Online

Enjoy unlimited access to all our articles on any device + free trial to e-Edition. You can cancel anytime.

>