Tag Archives: Samoa

15 tonnes of lifesaving COVID-19 supplies arrive in Samoa

3 May 2022 | Suva/Apia – A planeload of medical equipment and supplies touched down in Apia on Monday to bolster Samoa’s response to the COVID-19 pandemic. The goods were provided by the World Health Organization (WHO) for the Ministry of Health of Samoa and transported by the United Nations World Food Programme (WFP) through its Pacific Humanitarian Air Service, with funding support from the European Union (EU).

“They say that it is in times of crisis that your true friends are revealed, and WHO, WFP and the EU have shown themselves to be true friends indeed to Samoa – not just in this latest delivery of supplies, but in their ongoing tremendous support for our COVID-19 preparedness and response,” said Minister of Health, the Honourable Valasi Luapitofanua To’ogamaga Tafito Selesele. “This equipment and medical supplies will be used by Samoan health workers around the country as they continue to test and treat patients and to remain safe themselves as they save lives. Faafetai tele lava for your kind assistance.” Continue reading →

Food Aplenty, But Poor Nutrition Undermines Good Health for Samoans.

On a beautiful and peaceful tropical island like Samoa, food plants and crops thrive naturally. With close to 200,000 people, every family has access to land and about 97% of these families grow a variety of vegetables and crops and raise livestock, mainly cattle, pigs, and chickens, on a subsistence or commercial basis.

In Samoa, food is culture, food is family, food is, land and the ocean, it is everything. The Samoans strongly believe that food is abundant and there is no extreme starvation. While there is plenty to eat, there are serious health issues due to poor nutrition and poor dietary choices. The 2018 Samoa Household Income and Expenditure Survey (2018 HIES) findings show less than 1 person out of 20 is undernourished. It goes on to show that about 1 person in 4 does not have access to safe and nutritious food. More

UN chief appeals for dialogue in Samoa amid prime ministerial stand-off

The UN has called for dialogue in Samoa, where the first woman elected as Prime Minister was locked out of Parliament on Monday amid a bitter power struggle with the country’s long-standing leader. Fiame Naomi Mata’afa was sworn in during a makeshift ceremony held in a tent on the statehouse lawn in the capital, Apia. Her party, known by the acronym FAST, narrowly won the 9 April general election, which sparked a month of legal challenges and calls for a second round of voting.

The UN Secretary-General António Guterres urges the leaders in Samoa to find solutions to the current political situation through dialogue in the best interest of the people and institutions of Samoa. More