Lack of access to water continues to be a hurdle for a family of eight from a village on the central north coast of Savai'i island.

And while the matriarch of the household says they enjoy the simplicity of island life, she did not hesitate to tell of their ongoing struggles, due to them having little or sometimes no access to a water supply.

"We moved to this house and place nine years ago," the 44-year-old mother, Oka Lautala told the Village Voice. 

"And because of the distance from the main road and where most of our village resides, getting water has always been a problem for our family. 

"What we usually do is clean up barrels and buckets and we would walk to the village pool to collect water for our family. 

“If not we would ask other families just down the road from us if we could get water from them."

The family were elated when the Samoa Water Authority installed pipelines to supply water to the area where they are currently resident. 

But that has not changed their situation and the daily challenges they have to go through.

"But, even with that, we still suffer from the scarcity of water supply. What I mean is, the water is not running all the time,” said Mrs Lautala.

"Sometimes we would go without water supply for a whole month or two. There are also other days where we don't have access to water supply for weeks.

"And when it comes back on, it's usually very slow. Even with the taps we have, we still find ourselves collecting water for food and other things."

Mrs. Lautala said her family has been wanting to have a water tank for a while now. 

"We have been trying to get help from the different organisations in the country. The Samoa Red Cross paid us a visit one time and said they would help get us a water tank. 

"Other people and organisations have also promised us that they would help us get the help we need, but so far, we still have not heard from any of them."

However, she said they are also striving for the best and are hoping to save enough money for a water tank.

"There are eight of us altogether. Only one person is employed and she just started working two weeks ago. 

"We depend mainly on the land for food and income. My husband and sons have a big plantation and we sell taro and other crops for money. 

“But we can never save money with the situation we are in and the cost of living in Samoa. "We also need money for our children's education and other obligations. But I am positive and will keep praying to God to help us achieve our goals. 

"I understand that we will never be able to achieve anything if we just sit around and do nothing. So we are working hard, hoping that our dreams will come true."

The Lautala family would appreciate any help and can be contacted on mobile +685 7583576.