Mother works hard with children’s future in mind

By Vatapuia Maiava 17 November 2016, 12:00AM

Everyone has their own struggles to deal with.

For Faitasiga Oli, from the village of Nu’u, she is no exception.

But she works hard hoping her children will have a better future than she can provide.

Aged 41, Faitasiga runs a small roadside stall to help her hard working husband out with earning money. She admits that they don’t make enough but their one and only priority is her children’s future.

Money management can only stretch the money they have so far but Faitasiga still does her best.

“My husband is currently working and my children are currently in school,” she told the Village Voice.

“One of the hardest things is getting my husband’s pay and knowing it’s not enough to cover all of our needs. I admit, we are struggling with life.

“We try our best to manage our money the best we can but it’s just not enough. That’s why when my husband goes to work, I make my way to the plantation and grab some things to sell.

“I try and do my part with earning money in the family because the pay people in Samoa get isn’t much.”

Through their struggle, an important lesson Faitasiga has learnt is that working together as a family will help you overcome many obstacles.

“It is very important to work together as a family,” she said.

“My husband works hard to put food on the table so it makes me happy to make some money too from our plantation.

“There are many fathers who don’t try and help out their family but there are also those who do their best. My husband’s hard work is what motivates me to help out as much as possible.

“Another motivation is how expensive things are getting nowadays. The bills are increasing and things are becoming more and more unaffordable.”

With all her children currently in college and with the increasing cost of living, Faitasiga expects things to only get worse for her family.

“I have three children and they are our number one priority,” she said.

“All of my children are in college now and it’s not easy to provide all their needs. Not only that; but the cost of living is also getting ridiculously high.

“When I hold $100 then it feels like $10, that’s how much prices have gone up. We are struggling and that’s why I want my children to do their best in school.”

Asked for her dream, Faitasiga says all she wants is for her children to do well in life for their sake.

“My dream is for my children to have a good life,” she said.

“I always tell my children to pay attention to the struggles we are currently facing and to understand how hard life can get.

“I tell them not to follow in their parents footsteps and to do well in school. I want their future to be a good one and not one of struggle.”

By Vatapuia Maiava 17 November 2016, 12:00AM
Samoa Observer

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