Alio Talia puts her family first. 

That’s what she does every day. 

Aged 48, she is originally from Iva Savai’i but now resides at Fasito’o with her family. 

“We all know that life is tough but for me as long as my family is happy, I’m happy too,” she said.

“I know that my family especially my children are depending on me and my husband and I make sure to provide for them and that’s what we do.”

Alio and her husband are farmers. Money, she said, is a constant challenge.

She has also noted a huge difference over the years.

 “Back in the days, we could afford the cost of living but now it is very hard to keep up because everything is expensive,” she said.

“Money is what we need and I’m sure everyone agrees. 

“We have children who are at school and we need money for them. Then we have to deal with fa’alavelaves and that takes a lot of money.”

But not everyone is the same, she said.

“Some people earn more than enough money to buy things they don’t need just to impress people that they don’t like.

“They do it for fun unlike us, we struggle real hard.”

Alio and her husband not only have a plantation, they also sell chips.

 “None of us works but this is where we earn some money,” she said.

As for life, she said many things have taken a turn for the worse.

“To be honest this world is a sick place,” she said. “I think the purusuit of wealth and money has really made people greedy.”

But she is positive about the future.

Her advice: “Stay focused on what matters and make our children our first priority. 

 “When we do what are meant to do, money comes to us, doors open for us, we feel useful and everything else will fall into place.”