Father tells of housing, electricity struggles

By Nefertiti Matatia 12 July 2018, 12:00AM

Twenty people live under one roof. There is father of eight, Tauinaola Taputaua, three of his children who have spouses and their children, and other family members.

That’s the reality for this family at Faleasi’u. To make things worse, they don’t have running water and electricity.

“This is the only place that we could afford,” Tauinaola said. 

“All the materials that are used to build this house is from the environment such as the coconut trees that has been weaved so that we could have a roof.”

The 64-year-old father said his ultimate dream is to build a better home for his family.

 “We really need a proper house, which we could all fit in. As you can see we are covering the floor of our house with mats. The foundation of the house is not cemented.”

“Right now we are working on making covers for the house to protect our belongings when it rains. We are using the coconut leaves to make it.”

Away from their house, the absence of a proper water supply is one of their biggest challenges.

 “We do not have a water supply or a water tank either. We mostly rely on our neighbors for water, we have no water gallons.”

“I have three children that are living here with us, all of them are married. Two of my children both have six children each. So think about how many of us there are and the hassle of going everywhere for water?”

Tauinaola said they would be extremely grateful to anyone who can offer them some help.

“It will be much easier if we had a water tank of our own to make life less complicated. Everything that we would want to do requires money such as getting a water tank,” he said.

Only two people in the family have formal jobs. They work as grounds men.

“They would only receive $100 but the cost of living is expensive.”

For anyone willing to help Tauinaola and his family, contact 7260984.

To offer assistance, Help Samoa is offering free scheduled delivery to all Upolu Village Voice families.

By Nefertiti Matatia 12 July 2018, 12:00AM
Samoa Observer

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