Meet Fa’amoe Fa’aso’otauloa, a 58-year-old mother from the village of Sale’aula Savaii. 

 She is a school teacher, and although she has retired, she is still offering her services helping out with educating the children of Sale’aula. 

She was born and raised in Savaii and now resides with her husband and six children there. 

When she was asked about how life is in Savaii for her, she replied that life in Savaii is very “nice and easy.”

“We are used to living here in Savaii because I grew up here as did my family. 

“It is where our hearts belong. And every time I go to a different place for a visit, like Upolu or overseas, I always get homesick because I always miss Savaii and my family.”

She went on to say that life in Savaii is different from the life in Upolu. 

“And that’s a fact.”

“It’s also true that there are so many job opportunities in Apia compared to Savaii, and that’s why most people move to Apia. 

“But we prefer staying in Savaii because all our families are here, and we have our own lands here and most importantly, we grew up here.”

However, Fa’amoe is also grateful to all the new resorts in Savaii which opens up a door for the people of Savaii for employment opportunities. 

“We now have a lot of resorts and hotels in Savaii. And that’s great for our youth in Savaii. 

“But I also think that we should develop Savaii more.

“This can help prevent our people from migrating to Upolu and leaving some of our lands uncultivated.

“We also have some developments in Salelologa, but still that is far for us who live in the rural areas. 

“It is also costly if we travel all the way to Salelologa for work.”

Other than that, she still believes that life in Savaii is better for her and her family. 

“I love it here because it is where my heart is.

“We don’t do much, we just do our usual chores at home and for those of us who have jobs, we do chores when we finish work. 

“I have been a teacher for 38 years now and I am still willing to use what God instilled in me to help the children of my village.”

Lastly, Fa’amoe truly believes in the saying that it takes a whole village to raise a child. 

As an educator, she thinks that everyone has a role to play. 

“We all know that children are the future of our families, villages and country.

“If we all work together we can help make them better and well prepared for the future. We don’t know what’s going to happen in the future, but it’s always best to be prepared. 

“That’s why I truly believe that if we educate them well as a community; a bright future for our children will be outcome.”