A Salelesi family is among 14 families who have been listed to receive water tanks, food and other household essentials from the Hawai’i-based South Seas Christian Ministries. 

Sogialofa Silao, 56, a father of seven, said the gifts – bags of rice, flour, sugar and noodles, tinned mackerel, detergent, bath soap, drinking water, toothpaste and tooth brushes – will be a great help to his family.

“I thank God for this day and for guiding the different leaders of these organisations safely here so that we are able to meet here in our village of Salelesi. I am so grateful. There is nothing we have to repay them but I express my gratitude and pray that they are blessed with good health and long life. Thank you for these most important gifts that we will put to very good use,” said Mr. Silao.

“We have also been notified that we will receive a water tank so I thank them for their help. We are touched by their generosity that they have visited us with these gifts. I feel happy that our family has been chosen to receive this help for these many and varied gifts that will help me to take care of my children.”

South Seas Christian Ministries partnered with the local Red Cross chapter to identify families who are in need of water tanks and food items, said Tuailemafua Theresa Ulberg-Cherry.

Tuailemafua, 70, who relocated to Samoa from Hawai’i, is the local representative for the South Seas Christian Ministries. She is leading the ministry’s water tank and food distribution project that began on Tuesday.

“The families are very grateful and appreciative of what we have been doing for them. As far as the water tanks they have been waiting, some of them, for about five years. We came along with our project, in partnership with Red Cross,” she said.

“I went with Red Cross because they have all the contacts and data of all these people who are way inland and in need of help. 

"The families really appreciate it. This is all funded from Hawai’i, the South Seas Christian Ministries. They usually come every year but … last year they could not because of what’s going on with the COVID-19. This is what they do. 

"They host medical clinics and for this they recommended that we bring food items to the families while they are waiting for the water tanks.”

Francisco Fido, 35, oversees the Red Cross team to accompany Tuailemafua on her distribution route that began with purchases at Ah Liki Wholesale in Palisi and made its first presentation in Leusoalii Tuesday morning.

Tuailemafua, Mr. Fido and team members visited families in a number of villages: Leusoalii, Salelesi, Faleapuna, Lalomauga, Falevao, Samusu and Tanugamanono. 

South Seas Christian Ministries has purchased more than $20,000 worth of 5,000-litre and 2,100-litre water tanks from Samoa Superior Poly Products and more than $5,000 worth of food, household items, and toiletries.

Delivery of the water tanks to the families who need them has been delayed by the tank supplier. When all tanks have been received, the tanks will be delivered to the listed families, Tuailemafua said.

An additional seven families have been listed to receive food only.

“We plan to do more. We still have a lot more work to do in order to complete our mission,” she told the Observer.