Simple life in the village

By Fetalai Tuilulu’u 17 March 2017, 12:00AM

Living close to the ocean is a blessing.

So says Lavenia Alatasi of Lepa Aleipata.

The 44-year-old says her family relies on fishing for a living. Her husband is a fisherman and his daily catches are used for food and to earn money.

It works out well for life in the village.

“Here in the village, life is simple,” she said. “We have land to work on and the ocean to fish.

“This is why I like living back here in the village because; we villagers can earn a lot more money from our work than those who are employed. 

“I mean, no one in my family is employed but we get by through what we earn from the sea. We use some fish to feed the family and we sell some other fish to make a bit of money; 

“That’s how simple it is.” 

The family can get by on a budget of $40 a day. 

And that money according to Laveina covers their daily expenses and a bit more.

 Asked about some of the challenges, Lavenia says the weather is an issue.

“The only issue we face is the weather because if it’s not good then we’d rather stay home,” she said. 

“That’s the only thing that worries us; to consider the safety of our people and make it our priority to stay safe.”

Access to water is another challenge.

“We do have water but what we need is a water tank to save our water. I guess that’s the case with almost all families in the village.

“Sometimes most of our money goes straight to water bills and it leaves us with nothing.

Lavenia is a mother of seven. She can be contacted on 7718802 if you can help her with water.

By Fetalai Tuilulu’u 17 March 2017, 12:00AM
Samoa Observer

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