Mother works hard to give children the best life

By Seia Soloi 16 February 2017, 12:00AM

Teach a child the best ways and when they grow up, they will never stray from it.

That’s the opinion of Saniai Pulelilo, 44-years-old, from Vaitele.

 “Life is hard but we try our best in every way we can to provide for my family and my kids,” she told Village Voice.

The mother of five lives with her parents and her family in Vaitele. 

They are originally from Savai’i but they decided to make the move to Upolu to seek a brighter future.

 “Five of my kids are at school; one is at N.U.S while two are at Faleata College. The small ones are at primary school.

“When we first moved in, living here was hard. We saw some incidents occurring and it made us want to go back to Savai’i.”

But they had to overcome their fear. Saniai works at one of the restaurants in Apia while one of her nieces works at a nearby store at Vaitele.

The two provide for a family of eight members.

 “I get $150 tala while my niece gets $180 tala. That’s not enough for food and school fees.” 

It doesn’t help that she had elderly parents who also have needs.

To cope, they have a plantation.

“Even though the cost of living is expensive, we have a plantation to depend on.”

The mother added that her children motivate her to work harder.

 “We do this just for the sake of my kids because I want them to grow stronger and know that the sacrifice we make is for them to be happy in the future.”

One of the challenges is dealing with family fa’alavelave, village obligations and church contributions.

By Seia Soloi 16 February 2017, 12:00AM
Samoa Observer

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