Going the extra mile for the sake of your family’s survival is worth it. 

So says 25-year-old Famalepe Tolovae of Lepuia’i, Manono.

Ms. Tolovae spoke to the Sunday Samoan of how she and her family are able to overcome all obstacles.

“Everyone knows that life is hard, but I believe if we just sit around and complain and not doing anything that is when we suffer.” 

“This is my husband’s home, we look after her sister’s children, but my husband and I only have two children. My husband is a teacher and I stay at home.”

“So this is what we do at home, we grow cabbages to help out my husband and from the cabbages we sell it for $2 and whatever money I get, I help out with our daily needs and we will put some of that money in the bank because my husband gets paid fortnightly. So even though life is hard I can still say that we are okay,” she said. 

Ms. Tolovae says it’s how her family solves problem that matter the most and they acknowledge that life was never meant to be easy. 

“Like for example, my husband gets paid fortnightly, so as a mother I have to think of a way we can get money to survive until my husband’s pay day.” 

“So we started the cabbage farm. We ought to think outside the box on how we can help our family get through each day. We have to find ways to send our kids to school and I think the most important thing in life is we have to know how to budget all our money whether it’s little or a lot.” 

“For developing families like us we have to learn how to save money and I believe that is another way of solving these financial problems - learn how to save first,” she added. 

Ms. Tolovae she said they are working on renovating their house. 

“We are getting to that part, this is just something for us to live in for the time being, but we will have a better home for us and the children,” she said with optimism. 

“So you see life can be a challenge, and we can look at it as a good challenge because it challenges us, in a way where we have to really think of our families.”

“I believe life is good and I know some will not agree with me, but as a mother I have to stay positive for the sake of my children. So that when they grow up, they will know that their mother was so strong she never gave up, and that she would always find ways for her family to survive.”