Family without electricity's hopes not dimmed

By Sialai Sarafina Sanerivi 23 May 2021, 5:10PM

In a village on Savai'i's northeast coast, a family of four is living a life lacking most things except for hope for a better future for their children. 

Speaking to the Village Voice, young mother Koreti Safiu was reluctant to talk about her family's struggles.

She shares her small open family home with her husband and their two children without access to either electricity or water.  

Mrs. Safiu says that presents an everyday struggle but the family has not let go of hope for a better life.


But she confessed that lacking access to clean water was the family's main challenge. 


"We don't have access to water and electricity," she said. 

"To me, we can manage without electricity but without access to water, life can be very difficult."

Mrs. Safiu said their family relies on her husband Faiga, who is the only employed person in the family to provide for them. 

He is currently working in Upolu. 

"Sometimes, I bring my children to my parents and we stay here at my parents' house because my husband usually goes to Apia for work," she said. 

"And as you can see the state and the location of our house, it's not safe for me and my younger children to stay there, especially at night time. We can go there during the day but return to our parents' house at night.


"I've got two younger children so it's not safe for us to sleep there at night, without my husband around."

Despite the condition of their house and its location of their house, Mrs. Safiu said they are hoping that their lives will change for the better in the near future. 

She said her family is striving to do whatever it takes to build a proper home to provide shelter for their children in the near future. 


"[We face many challenges] especially in terms of water," she said. 

"Because of the location of our house, the water supply has not reached our house and we use a big gallon to store water for our family. 

"We would love to have a water tank so we don't have to fetch water from our parent's house. We would always get water from my parent's house, which is also a bit far from where our house is located. 

"But we would love to have a tank of our own."


The family can be contacted on 7617183. 


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Village Voice
Savaii
By Sialai Sarafina Sanerivi 23 May 2021, 5:10PM

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