Life is great but water tank would be a bonus

By Seia Soloi 17 March 2017, 12:00AM

An 85-year-old mother from Lepa Aleipata and her family can do with some help.

Although life is great, Lisa Tua said her family’s life would improve tremendously if they had a water tank.

 “We desperately need a water tank for my family,” she told the Village Voice. “We all know the importance of water and that’s why this is very vital to me.”

After the 2009 Tsunami, Lisa’s family moved inland where the water supply is challenging at best.

But it’s not just her family that needs a water tank, she said.

“My family is not the only family who needs a water tank, I believe every family in my village needs one. 

“When it’s raining we fill up everything we have with water but it’s not enough at all. Sometimes when we really want water, we don’t know where to go to look for empty tanks to be filled, this is hard for us.”

And that’s why she is making the call for help.

Aside from the water issue, the 85-year-old lives a happy life. 

The elderly mother of thirteen children lives with her grandson and his wife and their children.

 “Life today is much different from our life in the past,” she said.

“These days the cost of living has increased which means everything in life is very expensive.

“We have been living here for many years, we developed our family and raised our kids well even though they live overseas but they send money if it comes to important matters of our family.”

The elderly mother and grandmother is a hardworking woman. 

“I like working. It makes me stronger every day. Some of my family tells me to stop but I don’t want to. I want to keep working.”

At Lepa, they have a plantation.

“Life is very simple,” she said. “We have a plantation to depend on and the sea as well. We only need money when it comes to family fa’alavelaves.”

Asked about some of the changes she has seen over the years, she said there have been a lot.

“I see the change in the relationship between parents and their children.

I think there is a lot of outside influence in Samoa today and this has changed the way we live.”

Her secret to a long life is to be happy and be grateful.

If you want to help Lina and her family, they can be contacted on 7226706.

By Seia Soloi 17 March 2017, 12:00AM
Samoa Observer

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