A family at Lealali'i Faleasiu that lived without electricity for two years has welcomed the intervention of not-for-profit organisation Brown Girl Woke.

A mother of four, Feagaiga Lemuelu, told Samoa Observer that the not-for-profit organisation contacted the Electric Power Corporation (EPC) about their plight and work has already been done to restore the service.

"We've moved here for two years now and we haven't had any electricity, this is a huge help for me and my kids . We will finally have a chance to have our own power,” she said in an interview.

“My husband is the breadwinner of our family and his salary is not enough to cater for all our needs. I am grateful to the BGW for providing us with electricity, it'll be useful for my kids in terms of their assignment and all.”

The family normally uses a light from a bottle of kerosene to light up the house at night, prior to the declaration of the state of emergency.

The BGW were alerted to the family’s struggle when they were handing out donations to families in rural communities, who were affected by the measles epidemic late last year. 

Mrs Lemuelu's four children all contracted measles.

"Everyday, we would have our dinner early, do our kids' assignments and then we would sleep once the sun sets. With this help from the BGW it will change our lives. Our four kids, the eldest one is in Year Four, the other one in Year 2, and the other in Year 1 and our baby," Mrs Lemuelu added.

B.G.W. Founder and President, Maluseu Doris Tulifau, said they learnt of the family’s plight when they distributed supplies to families who were affected by the measles epidemic last year.

"The families in which we (B.G.W.) are helping are either from the measles crisis or the Samoa Observer Village Voice that we've seen,” she said.

“The Lemuelu family is from the list of those who were affected by the measles. The four kids all contracted measles so we are trying our best to help them get back on their feet.”

The infecting of the family’s four children confirmed their vulnerability, according to Maluseu, and giving families access to essentials such as electricity and water will assist them go a long way

"The reasons why these kids were infected was because they needed these types of things, it's actually human rights to have lights and water, and it drives me insane that we don't have these for some of the families," she added.

The B.G.W. initiative promotes sustainable living for families through the provision of electricity or water tanks.