Our front page story about China’s gift of musical instruments to the music department at the National University of Samoa, is representative of many acts of kindness, and support – big and small, that Samoa receives from countries and people all over the world.

In Samoa, you can’t travel very far without seeing evidence just along the roadside of the generosity of not only China, but our closest neighbours, New Zealand and Australia and then those further afield such as Japan, Germany and the United States of America.

There are others.

Just this week an individual and an organization from Germany gifted equipment for the Ministry of Health and the Fire and Emergency Services Authority – equipment that both organizations were unlikely to purchase themselves. 

In fact almost every week there are examples in our newspaper of news stories about individuals, groups and governments donating, supporting and adding to the fabric that makes up Samoa’s society.  

There are the buildings, the roads and the less glamorous but necessary  drainage, the seawall, the rebuilding and repairs to schools and other educational institutions not to mention the scholarships, the books and the immediate and unquestioning  assistance to us in times of disaster. 

Then there are the unseen but equally important resources, too numerous to mention inside schools and companies, N.G.O.’s; long and short term personnel support for specific purposes, programmes to upskill our employed, workshops and expert help.

As well as all of this, there are the many individuals and groups from countries who offer their skills, often year after year in specific health specialist areas and those who send both new and used resources to assist our learning.

Then we have the many volunteers who come from all around the world to assist in many areas of the government and private sector. They come from the United States of America, New Zealand and Australia and other countries of the world.

At the Samoa Observer this week, we have a second volunteer from Germany working alongside our own staff and bringing new perspectives friendship and ideas to our workplace. 

All of these things help to extend our learning, understanding and education; enrich our lives, protect our health and help us achieve our goals as a country and a people.

We are truly blessed and grateful to have the friends we have and to receive the help we are given.