Samoan children especially teenagers feel that their voices are not being heard, and this has contributed to an increase in suicides and substance abuse, a non-profit organisation has claimed. 

Brown Girl Woke (B.G.W.) says while there has been no national helpline set up specifically for children to share their problems, many feel they are not understood neither by their parents nor their teachers.

According to the founder and director of the organisation, Maluseu Doris Tulifau, they aim to be one of the main groups that children reach out to when in need of help.

"They have no one to talk too. They don’t feel safe talking to adults. Kids don’t feel their parents will understand," she said.

"We want to be the group that schools call on to talk to the kids about mental health issues, suicide and any taboo issues.

"We always receive emails and messages from students. We have been going into schools each month and adding schools to our monthly presentation using local and overseas celebrities to talk about depression." 

Maluseu said from their experience one of the main issues affecting children was academic and social expectations from parents and the communities they lived in. 

"Some are in tough economical situations. They just feel no one understands them, from teachers to parents," she said.

Maluseu said B.G.W. worked with artists and musicians to push out the message that there are always hurdles but they have to commit to their mental discipline by working with the group to get past their problems.

"We need you in the community. We need your stories so we can help," which she said was one of the message that they are trying to get out to the children.