Many people migrate from Savaii to Upolu to seek a better life.

The decision is based on the notion that there are job opportunities in Upolu and therefore money to be made.

Inspired by this dream, Rosalina Tu’itu’i, 32, of Vailoa Savai’i moved to Malie with her family.

But many years later, the mother of two has found that the dream has remained just that, a dream.

 “We don’t access water,” she told the Village Voice. 

“It is one of the biggest problems for me and some families in my village.” 

“We are always asked to pay our monthly water bills but most of the time we only get water for one week out of that whole month.” 

Rosalina said they are tired of it.

 “We suffer a lot from this,” she said. 

“We have no water and the only way for us to get water is to fetch it from somewhere else.” 

This is not all. 

Rosalina struggles to earn money for her children.

“We have many families living here and we all suffer the same way,” she said. 

“My husband earns money from fishing but it doesn’t go far.”  

Life in Malie is tough.

“Without money you can’t do much,” she said. 

 “We sometimes find it hard to meet our basic needs but we still work hard on fishing and selling the fish for a bit of money.”

 “Many families’ survival depends on my husband’s catches.”

“We also have a vegetable garden and a plantation and we take the stuff to the market to make some money.”

“It’s the only way we can survive and support our families.” 

Rosalina said when they moved from Savai’i, they thought life would be better off in Upolu.

“But it’s a struggle,” she said.

“The cost of living is too expensive. We can barely afford a can of eleni because $4 is too expensive.” 

“We make do with whatever money we earn. I thank God for our relatives overseas who sometimes help us. Without them, it would be even harder.”