Not-for-profit organisation Senese Inclusive Education Support Services (Senese) is the recipient of $173,000 in funding courtesy of the Australian government.

The funding is channeled through its partnership with the Samoa Government known as the Civil Society Support Programme (C.S.S.P.).

Initially awarded by the C.S.S.P. to the organisation in August 2019, it is the result of a project application which was submitted by the not-for-profit and accepted under Round 3 Call for Proposals to the Australian government’s Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade (DFAT) support for non-governmental organizations.

The fund offered assistance to non-governmental organisations like Senese to address the needs of vulnerable people and persons with disabilities. 

The targeted beneficiaries are made up of primary school students and youth who are deaf and have a hearing impairment as well as language and speech impediment. The prime objective of the project is to improve Senese’s support services under three major components namely hearing services, speech and language therapy and vocational lifelong learning.

Senese Board of Directors Chair, Ladesha Stevenson, said the funding assistance for the project allowed Senese to conduct outreach and capacity development programs. 

The organisation was also able to purchase relevant equipment for hearing services, learning resources for children with speech and language impediments as well as tools and resources to establish vegetable farming.

“The three project components saw Senese conducting different activities and services in Upolu and Savai’i,” said Ms. Stevenson.

“These included Hearing Screening for Pre-schools in both Upolu and Savai’i, upskilling training of staff in different areas of inclusive education, the purchase of educational resources for children to assist with language development, vocational activities such as making handicrafts to operating vegetable gardens as well as establishing our screen printing operation.

"This an added activity for our vocational division that aims to teach children relevant skills to assist them to lead independent lives through the ability to care for themselves by earning a living and contributing to their families.”

One of the parents who has a child with a hearing impairment, Luisa Kamuta, said that she welcomes and appreciates such projects. 

"We need more initiatives like these because they help people with disabilities reach their full potential and be all they can be," she said.