The All Saints Anglican Church in Samoa hosted its annual bazaar on Saturday with members of the public descending on the event in numbers to support the fundraising while enjoying the various fun and games on offer.

The event staged a variety of activities from various food to children's games just after Samoa had its two-day national COVID-19 mass vaccination campaign and drew a substantial crowd. 

The event was held at the church compound at Leifiifi and began about 7am. 

The bazaar featured a variety of activities, from food stalls offering barbeque, different types of curry, pastries, and seafood to pot plants, books, clothes and jewelry.   

The event had a dedicated kid’s corner where children played on bouncy castles, outdoor games and rode miniature trains provided courtesy of Bruno’s Magic Circus. 

Meanwhile, spinning wheel tickets provided a variety of prizes up for grabs. 

The church's Secretary, Tamara Filoi Lene, said the bazaar was an annual tradition.

“We do it once a year and it is the only fundraising our church goes through in order to finance our ministries,” she said.

“Therefore, each household or family donates or sets up a stall or contributes in any way they can and whatever they collect on the day is like an offering [to the church].

“It was unfortunate we had to put it on hold during the measles and COVID-19 global pandemic due to the state of emergency [orders].

“But now we are starting to bring back the All Saints spirit, let’s give something for people to celebrate despite darkness looming around with what’s happening with COVID.”

She said that the bazaar was a family event that made use of the generous donations from church families, friends and the business community.

“The church [is composed] of different ministries, we have got the men’s group, women’s group, youth ministry, children’s ministry and the scouts, so everyone contributes there," she said. 

“The scouts every year are in charge of putting together fun games for the children.

 “We also have a bar section sponsored by Vailima Breweries this year.”

She also said that while a fundraiser the event also brought together God’s people and children as a community and fellowship.