A family-of-seven on the east coast of Upolu lives in constant fear of extreme weather, a looming threat which, they believe would leave their house in ruins and leave them homeless. 

But the family says even its modest ambition to upgrade from a flimsy shelter to one capable of withstanding even the most gentle storms currently feels out of reach. 

The home of the family of 47-year-old Male Sosene is perched on a hill which is inaccessible to vehicles, and is accessible only by a short walk up the hill.

The exposed nature of their home has forced the family to repeatedly seek alternative shelter from cyclones and bad weather in their house, 27 kilometers from Apia through the Main East Coast Road.

Their property is built in the Samoan traditional design and is composed of coconut leaf roof, tree trunks and surrounded by tarpaulins.   

As the mother of the house, Mrs Soseneon is keen to provide for her family, but she can only do so much due to the difficulties they continue to face. 

“One of the challenges we face is our current living conditions, with seven of us, we all try and fit in our small home but also as the children are growing up a bigger and better home is all they need,” she said.

And there are times when she forgets about the risks that they have to face in relation to extreme weather conditions, but she knows how much a new home can increase their safety, especially their children.

“But most importantly damage our hard work trying to build a home from what we could find," she told the Samoa Observer. 

Both she and her husband are unemployed and are eking out a living through the family's plantation. 

“My husband is a farmer and he is trying his best to provide through the fruits of the land,” said Mrs Sosene.

“However, my daughter is the only one employed who pays for some of our needs such as electricity or food supplies.

“Another part of her income will be used for expenses for the children attending school, there are times when we cannot afford their school fees, so they are sent home but there is not much we can do if we don’t have enough to get by.”

The mother-of-five said that money arriving from relatives living abroad is often their only lifeline. 

“We are truly grateful for their help but we try our best to live with what we have,” she said. 

“Our family just started our plantation so it might take a couple of months until we see [it start to bear] fruit.”

If you are willing to help the family of Ms.Sosene contact the number 7654908.