Leading by example

By Aruna Lolani 20 August 2017, 12:00AM

If the new generation doesn’t know how to play their role, then we might as well just show them how it’s done.

Fa’aea Faleupolu of Fasito’o uta says this, reflecting on how many of our youth are wasting time and not doing anything with their lives.

When the Village Voice approached Mr. Faleupolu for an interview, the 54 year old was carrying a heavy load of wood and coconuts over his shoulders. 

He was just on his way from the forestry area where his plantation is located.

“See, this is one of the reasons why I prefer living in the village because everything that surrounds you just makes you want to work every minute of the day,” said Mr. Faleupolu to the Village Voice.

“It’s not like this in Apia or our town area; nobody does anything like this - well not a lot anyway.”

“As soon as you make your way into the villages, you see every family, working hard to develop their own lives.”

“Like me, I work as a farmer and I work as a fisherman whereas my brother works at one of the companies in Apia and that makes him our main source of income.”

“I work in the plantation during the day and at night time, I just go fishing. So you know; it’s a life in the sea and a life on the lands.”

Mr. Faleupolu has children and they mean so much to him; which is why he wants to work at whatever job he has now to set a good example for them.

“I have four children; two of them are in Savaii with their mother.”

“The land and the sea is the life we have and this is what I depend on to make a little bit of money when it’s needed.”

“It keeps me going and I hope the youth of today and in the future will learn to work just like us; because depending on other people is not something nice.”

By Aruna Lolani 20 August 2017, 12:00AM
Samoa Observer

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