Fagaee is one of the smallest villages involved in a research project implemented by the Samoa Victim Support Group and the University College of London and it has become the first village in Savaii to administer the Samoa Village Health Survey.

A total of 80 participants completed the survey administered by trained enumerators referred from the Samoa Bureau of Statistics.

The Survey is part of a larger research study led by the University College of London (UCL) and implemented in Samoa by the SVSG, the National University of Samoa (NUS) and the Samoa Bureau of Statistics (SBS).  It is a four-year project that started in March 2020.

Ethical guidelines set by the National University of Samoa on the survey administration have been followed through since the survey component of the research study have been carried out. The guidelines ensured the safety of the respondents and the confidentiality of information gathered from the survey.

In response to the questions from the SVSG media team, Sosoli Sopo Savelio Vaa, one of the enumerators for the survey stated that she has witnessed a huge support from the village of Fagaee towards the research study, as evident by the majority of the respondents being elderlies.  

“They were such eager participants who valued their involvement in the survey for its contribution to addressing violence against women in Samoa.  They were even more excited to complete the survey themselves on tablets.”

SVSG President Siliniu Lina Chang thanked the village council of Fagaee, in particular, the EVE Team members and mentor, Polataivao Pouvale, for a well coordinated survey administration.

“Thank you also to one of SVSG’s longest serving village representative Tuipoloa Pasene, the village council and the women’s committee of Avao for supporting the survey administration at Fagaee, by hosting the enumerators and the SVSG Team for two nights. We are encouraged by the coming together of our SVSG Aiga to support the delivering of ongoing community programs, to address violence against women and girls.”