Most teenagers would want to celebrate their 16th birthday with friends and family, but for Seirosa Wallwork-Lamb she shared her milestone with young victims at a refuge centre.

Ms. Lamb turned 16 on Saturday last week, and instead of having a shopping list of what she wanted, she chose to donate money and spend time with other children at the Samoa Victims Support Group (S.V.S.G.) shelter. 

The 16-year-old force behind the ‘Cookies for Charity’ was at the Campus of Hope in Tuanaimato with her family to gift $3,500 for the young victims as part of her charity work. 

Ms. Lamb raised the funds from her Cookies for Charity project to support charitable works in various parts of the community. 

 “I feel like Saturday was less about my birthday and more about the S.V.S.G.,” said Ms. Lamb when asked about her visit to shelter on Saturday. 

 “Personally the staff at S.V.S.G. are so genuine in what they do and if you go to see how many kids are there and how many babies born in there, that holds a special place in my heart.” 

The Campus of Hope is where abused, abandoned, orphanage and children with disability are sheltered under the care of the S.V.S.G.  

The climate change activist was selfless and took the opportunity to promote the work of the shelter, saying there is a need for places like the S.V.S.G. Campus of Hope. 

The 16-year-old was accompanied by her parents Su’a Hellene Wallwork and Travis Lamb, her grandparents Seiuli Paul and Su’a Julia Wallwork and her sister Nafanua at the campus. 

The family took with them pizzas and snacks to share with the children while waterslide and trampolines was set up for the children to enjoy. 

Ms. Lamb said the anticipation from the children while they were setting up the playground was priceless and worth it. 

The S.V.S.G. President, Siliniu Lina Chang said Seirosa is someone special that always beamed with smiles whenever she visited the children and it was encouraging. 

“We continued to cheer you on from the Campus of Hope, and know that your baking has impacted the lives of many more abused children who have found refuge at the shelter,” Siliniu said in a press statement. 

The 16-year-old activist was treated with birthday cards handmade by the children from the Campus of Hope. 

Her mother Su’a said her daughter read all her beautifully made cards from the children. 

“She was so touched and was crying while reading them,” said Su’a in the statement. “Faafetai tele lava for making her feel so special.”

Outside the campus Ms. Lamb has been actively involved as one of S.V.S.G.’s Climate Change activist, an advocate for Ending Violence Against Women and Girls through her role in the #Samoa with her campaign to champio the children’s rights. 

She is a student at the Robert Louis Stevenson and has high hopes to follow her parent’s footstep in the legal fraternity in the future. 

Ms. Lamb has donated to many other organisations such as the Home of the Elderly in Mapuifagalele, the Goshen Trust, Animals Protection Society and others all of which she raised through her kitchen operation, Cookies for Charity.