The plight of a grandpa

By Fetalai Tuilulu’u 05 March 2017, 12:00AM

Sixty-four-year-old Epati Aiolupo of Malie and Faleasi’u is a worried man.

 “I’m not sure what kind of future our children will have if the cost of living continues to increase,” he told the Village Voice yesterday.

“The truth now is that many can’t afford the cost of living anymore. In a money-demanding world, when there are no jobs, what can you do?”

Epati shared his family’s story to illustrate his point.

“We used to live at Malie but due to some family problems we moved and we now live here for more than 10 years now,” he said. 

“For my family, you can see that it’s just me my wife and my grandkids. We don’t have much money. 

I’m not ashamed to tell you that we need help.”

With grown children, Epati said they too have families to develop.

“Even they are struggling to raise their families,” he said.

Despite his age, Epati still works hard.

He plants taro and bananas around the house, which they sell.

But he is not as strong as he once was.

“The taro and banana around the house is for our food only. We don’t sell it at the market as I am too old to do that.”

 “Sometimes my family at Malie help us out with our basic needs which we appreciate.”

The quality of their house is another worry.

 “At the moment we can’t afford either electricity or a proper house,” he said. 

“You see the cost of living is very expensive for us. We try our best because as far as I know, my grandkids need to go to school like all other kids in the village.” 

Epati also looks after his wife.

“My wife has been sick since last week and she hasn’t been to the hospital because we have no money at all,” he said. 

If you can help Epati and his family, he can be contacted on 7633611.

By Fetalai Tuilulu’u 05 March 2017, 12:00AM
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