For 62-year-old Fuatino Sivai overcoming life's challenges involves selling fish and marine products just to scrape by every week. But the difficulties she manages at home are even greater.  

But her daughter’s medical condition can intervene and disrupt those weekly plans. When she suffers from a seizure, Ms. Sivaui steps in to massage and care for her daughter to relieve her of pain.

The family lives on the west coast of Upolu Island in a house with both coconut leaf and corrugated iron roof held up by wooden posts. They don’t have access to the water supply or electricity. 

The woman and her daughter live next to the main road and adjacent to the beach, making fishing a natural main source of income.

Ms. Sivai wasn’t at home when the Samoa Observer visited but her niece Easter appealed for assistance on her aunt’s behalf. 

A 24-year-old mother, Easter lives one house away from her aunt’s home which is why sometimes her father takes care of the 62-year-old woman and her daughter, by giving them food and water and access to a bathroom and shower.

Easter said sometimes her aunt goes out to sea to fish twice a week for sea cucumbers and uses bottles to fill them in for sale for $20. 

“My aunt would sometimes earn $40 a week but that is not consistent. On other days my father would provide financially for his daughter who lives with her husband’s family,” she said.

She said at night time Ms. Sivai would use light running on batteries to get through the dark.

“The land she is living on is our family land and I know how shy my aunt is at asking for help but she is in need of certain necessities such as a water tank but not forgetting a shower and toilet facility.

“She also uses an outdoor kitchen which she shares with our other relatives to take turns cooking daily. 

“Another struggle for my elderly aunt is looking after her daughter who has a seizure disorder, sometimes when she is doing chores she gets an episode and we can see her trying her best to massage her but in terms of other forms of treatment she doesn’t have any.”

If you are willing to help Ms. Sivai's family please contact the numbers: 7374593 or 7798199.