Habitat for Humanity Calling for Volunteer Tradespeople For Samoa
Posted: November 11, 2009 Filed under: Analysis, Breaking News, Business, Community, Current, Earthquake Tsunami Samoa/AmSampa 09, Environment, Jobs In The Pacific, NZPacific, South Pacific Region | Tags: buildings, habitat for humanity, homes being built in samoa, Lepa, samoa Leave a commentMedia Release
Habitat News
![Habitat Resource Centre takes shape in Lepa.](https://i0.wp.com/www.habitat.org.nz/news/0376325001257392426.jpg)
Habitat Resource Centre takes shape in Lepa.
Samoa Volunteer Questionaire Form
Samoa Volunteer Medex Medical Insurance Form
NZ Parliament Expresses Sympathy for Samoa, American Samoa, Tonga: Luamanuvao Winnie Laban
Posted: October 15, 2009 Filed under: Analysis, Breaking News, Business, Community, Current, Earthquake Tsunami Samoa/AmSampa 09, education, Environment, Honour & Tribute, NZPacific, Politics, South Pacific Region | Tags: aleipata., american samoa tsunami, and Tonga, Chris Carter, falealili, Joe Annandale’s wife, Labour—Mana, lalomanu, Lepa, luamanuvao winnie laban, Niuatoputapu, pacific tsunamic, Phil Goff and Annette King, poutasi, samoa, Samoa Prime Minister, samoa tsunami, Samoan National Disaster Coordination and Distribution Committee, tonga tsunami, Tui Annandale, Tuila’epa Sailele Malielegaoi Leave a commentTranscript of Yesterday’s Parliamentary Motion at 2pm.
Speakers:
- Prime Minister John Key
- Labour Deputy Leader Annette King
- Green Party Co-Leader Russell Norman
- Act Party David Garrett
- Maori Party Co-Leader Dr Pita Sharples
- Progressive Leader Jim Anderton
- United Future Peter Dunne
- Labour Luamanuvao Winnie Laban
- National Peseta Sam Lotu-Iiga
- Labour Su’a William Sio
Pacific Islands—Tsunami
Hon LUAMANUVAO WINNIE LABAN (Labour—Mana) : O le Paia o le Atua i lenei Sauniga Mamalu, O lo’o tatou tapua’i ai ia te ia,o le Alefa ma le Omeka, o le Amataga ma le Gata’aga, o mea uma i lenei olaga e o’o lava i le soifua o le tagata. I greet members in the sacredness of the House of Parliament and our connection as peoples of the Pacific, New Zealand, Samoa, and Tonga. Talofa lava, malo lelei, and warm Pacific greetings.
Early on 29 September, Samoan time, I heard the news of the earthquake and tsunami hitting Samoa. As more information came in about the impact of this disaster, I knew that I must go to Samoa. Phil Goff and Annette King, the leader and deputy leader of the Labour Party, encouraged Chris Carter and I to go to Samoa. We did not want to make any fuss or have any media interviews. We just went as soon as we could. I took the first flight I could get to Samoa, and at 2.20 p.m. on that day I was on the plane to Samoa.
During the next 2 days we visited villages on the southern coast of Opolu—Lalomanu, Aleipata, Poutasi, Lepa, Falealili, and much of the area the tsunami devastated. We also spent time at the Moto’otua Hospital. We met with the Prime Minister, Tuila’epa Sailele Malielegaoi, and other Samoan Government officials. The Prime Minister asked us to attend a meeting of the Samoan National Disaster Coordination and Distribution Committee, and I also spent time with the Hon Fiame Naomi Mata’afa, who is Minister responsible for village councils.
We all talked about how best to help. I went to offer my alofa, support, and encouragement. In difficult times we must be with our people. Members have all seen the photographs in the newspapers and on the television, have heard the voices on the radio, and will all know what things look like in Samoa. Seeing what has happened on the ground was deeply disturbing. Fales were wrecked, churches demolished, villages in ruin, bodies on the beach, and people were scared, traumatised, and in shock.
What the news coverage does not show is the spirit and faith of our people, the alofa, the fa’aaloalo, and agaga—the love, the reciprocity, and spirituality, and our deep belief in God’s love and strength. I was so proud to see the way that Samoans who were suffering were looking after the New Zealanders, Australians, and others who had suffered alongside them, and in turn, New Zealanders and Australians were supporting Samoans. It was great to see that the Kiwi spirit is strong, and everybody was working well together. I was proud to be a Samoan and a New Zealander. I was encouraged by the way that we became one people, one family, in these difficult days.
On Thursday morning we attended the funeral service of my cousin Joe Annandale’s wife, Tui. It was the first of many. Then my cousin Imo took us in a taxi to visit the hospital and all the villages on the southern coast. In the hospital many people were being treated for their injuries and recovering from the physical and emotional trauma. I met a Samoan woman who had lost two of her grandchildren, and New Zealanders who had lost children and other family members. One Kiwi couple had lost their child of 2½ years. In the villages we met Samoans who had lost 10 or more family members. We also met the Taufua family. In Poutasi one of the wives of the pastors had passed on.
The loss is great. So many people have lost everything. The people whom I talked to asked for support to come direct: family to family, village to village, and church to church. In time, the villages will be rebuilt. The scars on the landscape will soon be smoothed away, the trees and the plants will grow again, and schools, churches, and businesses will be re-established. But it will take much longer to heal the loss of family and friends. Those whom we have lost will be with us for ever. “Inside us our dead, our dead are the proud robes our souls wear. We are the remembered cord that stretches across the abyss of all that we have forgotten. We don’t inherit the past, but a creation of our remembering.”
Let us remember those we have lost in the disaster. Let us stand with our people during this time of suffering, and give them support, hope, and encouragement. Let us work together to support the peoples of Samoa, Niuatoputapu, and Tonga with their rebuilding. In English, I say: “The heart of the earth weeps with sadness, but God’s strength will grant us healing and peace.”Tatou te momoe ma manu ae lilo mala e ati a’e. E tagi le fatu ma le ‘ele‘ele o le puapuaga, ae to’a i le Atua lona filemu.
NZ Samoan MP Luamanuvao Recounts Samoa’s Loss On The Ground
Posted: October 7, 2009 Filed under: Analysis, Breaking News, Community, Current, Earthquake Tsunami Samoa/AmSampa 09, Environment, NZPacific, Opinion & Commentary, Politics, South Pacific Region, Tourism | Tags: aleipata., alofa, alofa to samoa, AMERICAN SAMOA, american samoa tsunami, and agaga, annette king, Australians helping Samoans, beach fales destroyed, Chris Carter (Foreign Affairs Spokesperson), earthquake and tsunami hitting Samoa, earthquake hits samoa tonga and american samoa, fa’aaloalo, faifeau priest in poutasi lost wife, falealili, Fiame Naomi Mata’afa, Imo Tuatagaloa, lalomanu, lalomanu destroyed by tsunami, Lepa, litia sina fales destroyed lalomanu, luamanuvao winnie laban, Moto’otua Hospital., New Zealanders helping Samoans, pacific tsunami, phil goff, poutasi, rebuilding samoa, samoa, Samoa Prime Minister Tuila’epa Sailele Malielegaoi, samoa tsunami, Samoan Government officials, Samoan National Disaster Coordination and Distribution Committee, Sinalei Resorted destroyed, taufua family lalomanu, tsunami samoa, Tui Annandale died, villages in south coast samoa hit by tsunami, worldwide support for samoa Leave a commentBy Luamanuvao Winnie Laban
NZ Labour Party Member of Parliament
Talofa lava, Warm Greetings,
Early on Wednesday morning (NZ Time), I heard the news of the earthquake and tsunami hitting Samoa. As more information came in about the impact of this disaster I knew that I must go to Samoa.
Phil Goff and Annette King, the Leader and Deputy Leader of the Labour Party, encouraged Chris Carter (Foreign Affairs Spokesperson) and I to go to Samoa. We did not want to make any fuss or attract any media interviews, we just went as soon as we could.
I took the first flight I could get to Auckland and at 2.20 pm we were on the plane to Samoa.
During the next two days we visited villages on the south coast: Lalomanu, Aleipata, Poutasi, Lepa, Falealili and many of the areas the tsunami devastated. We spent time at the Moto’otua Hospital.
![Luamanuvao Winnie Laban returning to Samoa when news of the tsunami hit Luamanuvao Winnie Laban returned to Samoa when news of the tsunami hit](https://pacificeye.wordpress.com/wp-content/uploads/2009/10/img_0215.jpg?w=590)
Luamanuvao Winnie Laban returned to Samoa soon after news of the earthquake and tsunami in Samoa. Luamanuvao, who has family in Samoa, was the former Minister of Pacific Island Affairs under the previous NZ Labour Government.
We met with the Prime Minister Tuila’epa Sailele Malielegaoi and other Samoan Government officials. The Prime Minister asked us to attend a meeting of the Samoan National Disaster Coordination and Distribution Committee. I also spent time with Fiame Naomi Mata’afa, who is Minister responsible for village councils. We talked about how best to help.
I went to offer my alofa, support and encouragement. In difficult times we must be with our people.
You have all seen the photographs in the newspapers and on the television. You have heard the voices on the radio. You will all know what things look like in Samoa.
Seeing what had happened on the ground was deeply disturbing. Fale wrecked, villages in ruin, bodies on the beach. People were scared, traumatised, and in shock.
What the news coverage does not show is the spirit and faith of our people. The alofa, fa’aaloalo, and agaga. Love, reciprocity, and spirituality. And our deep belief in God’s love and strength.
I was so proud to see the way that Samoans, who were suffering, were looking after the New Zealanders, Australians and others who had suffered alongside them. And in turn New Zealanders and Australians were supporting Samoans. It was great to see that the Kiwi spirit is strong and everybody was working well together.
I was proud to be a Samoan and a New Zealander. I was encouraged by the way that we become one people in these difficult days.
On Thursday morning we attended the funeral service of Tui Annandale
It was the first of many.
Then my cousin Imo Tuatagaloa took us in his taxi to visit Moto’otua Hospital, and the villages on the South coast.
In the hospital many people were being treated for their injuries and recovering from the physical and emotional trauma. I met a Samoan woman who had lost two of her grandchildren. We met New Zealanders who had lost children and other family members. One Kiwi couple had lost their two and half year old child.
In the villages we met Samoans who had lost ten or more family members. The Taufua family in Lalomanu had lost three generations of their family. The Faifeau in Poutasi had lost his wife.
The loss is great. So many people have lost everything.
The people I talked to asked for support to come direct: family-to-family, village-to-village, church-to-church.
I am sure that families, community organisations, and the Government will raise money and provide the assistance that Samoa needs to survive and recover. But I know that it will be the spirit of the Samoan people that will keep them strong
In time the villages will be rebuilt. The scars on the landscape will soon be smoothed away. The trees and plants will grow again. Schools, churches and businesses will be re-established.
![Destruction along the South Coast of Upolu Samoa Destruction along the South Coast of Upolu Samoa after earthquake and tsunami hit the islands Tuesday 29th October 2009 (Samoa time)](https://pacificeye.wordpress.com/wp-content/uploads/2009/10/img_0205.jpg?w=590)
Destruction along the South Coast of Upolu Samoa after earthquake and tsunami hit the islands Tuesday 29th October 2009 (Samoa time)
It will take much longer to heal the loss of family and friends. Those who we have lost will be with us forever.
“Inside us our dead, our dead are the proud robes our souls wear.”
“We are the remembered cord
that stretches across the abyss
of all that we have forgotten
We don’t inherit the past
But a creation of our remembering.”
Let us remember those we have lost in this disaster.
Let us stand with our people during this time of suffering and give them support, hope, and encouragement.
Let us work together to rebuild Samoa.
Tatou te momoe ma manu ae lilo mala e ati a’e.
E tagi le fatu ma le ‘ele’ele O le puapuaga, ae to’a i le Atua lona filemu.
Collection Centres in Auckland for Donated Items for Samoa Tsunami Disaster Relief
Posted: October 5, 2009 Filed under: Breaking News, Community, Current, Earthquake Tsunami Samoa/AmSampa 09, Environment, NZPacific, South Pacific Region | Tags: Breaking news tsunami, collection centres for aucklanders to donate samoa tsunami disaster relief, humanitarian aid to samoa tsunami victims, lalomanu, lalomanu tsunami, Lepa, Malaela, Mutiatele, poutasi, Pue, Saanapu, salaepaga fundraising, Saleapaga, saleapaga tsunami, Saleaumua, samoa tsunami relief effort, Satitoa, Siumu, Ulutogia, Vailoa 3 CommentsUPDATE, Sat 10 Oct 09: The Mangere Collection Centre is now closed. Only the Henderson Collection Centre is open for collections. Apologies for any inconvience this may cause to donors. The Centre is closed on Sunday, and will re-open on Monday through to Saturday.
For more information, please call any of the following:
- Samoa Consul General Faolotoi Reupena Pogi (09 303 1012)
- Laauli Michael Jones (021 557 750) email: michealj@reefgroup.co.nz
- Masuisui JR Pereira (021 2029 160) email: jr.pereira@pacificeda.org
- Magila Annandale, MPIA (027 272 2656)
From this Tuesday 6th October 2009(NZ time), Auckland will have two collection centres, Henderson and Mangere, for anyone wishing to donate to the Samoa Tsunami Relief Effort. The organising committee say priority goods are nonperishable food and clothing with the goods going to the most affected villages.
Opening hours are 9am to 11pm from Tuesday.
- Henderson Collection Centre
Mau Theatre, Corban Estate, 426 Great North Road
Henderson, Auckland.Henderson will take goods for the following villages/families in Saleaumua, Mutiatele, Pue, Malaela, Satitoa, Poutasi, Saleapaga, Lalomanu, Lepa. General donations and Tutuila.
- Mangere Collection Centre
Te Wananga Aotearoa, 15 Canning Crescent, Mangere.Mangere will take goods for the following villages/families in Ulutogia, Vailoa, Poutasi, Saleapaga, Lalomanu, Saanapu, Siumu. General donations and Tutuila.
The Samoa Tsunami 2009 Appeal organising committee sincerely thanks all donors for their support.
Sailings are expected within the next few weeks.Free containers for shipping have been donated by Maersk Line New Zealand. Shipping companies are also donating the cost of shipping the containers. There may also be available containers on the Canterbury, the NZ Navy Ship.
The donated goods will be allocated, says the Samoa Tsunami 2009 Appeal organising committee, to the most affected villages. They have also made provision for space for goods donated for specific families in those villages, with a cubic metre per family as a guide.
Samoa Tsunami: Families Crying Through the Darkest Night
Posted: September 30, 2009 Filed under: Analysis, Breaking News, Community, Current, Earthquake Tsunami Samoa/AmSampa 09, Environment, Noticeboard Tsunami, NZPacific, Politics, South Pacific Region, Tourism | Tags: Aleipata district, Aufaga with Paradise Cove, breaking news tsunami samoa, falealili, lalomanu, Lepa, Lotofaga, matatufu, newstalkzb, samoa devastated by tsunami, samoa earthquake, South Coast, tsunami 3 CommentsI’ve been listening to Kerre on Newstalk ZB this evening. Caller after caller express their devastation at hearing the tragedy unfolding in Samoa. That’s coming from family and friends in New Zealand.
Thinking of our people back in Samoa. Missing children. Missing mothers and fathers. Missing grandmothers and grandbrothers. Missing brothers and sisters. A large number of families who are still missing tonight and in the dark without shelter. Heartbreaking.
Thinking of the families in the dark tonight out in the South Coast with power lines out, the dead around them.
Families looking for missing children, grandparents, mothers and fathers. How, and where will they sleep tonight, amidst the debris and the smell of death? I can imagine the cries that will bellow throughout the desseminated villages in the darkest night. Hospitals are reportedly full and there’s no room for the dead that have been found. I know Poutasi Hospital destroyed. In a country that does not have a first class medical resources, any reduction to medical resources are likely to have overwhelmingly distrastrous effects on a people, already traumatised.
List of villages on the South Coast of Upolu (the most beautiful coastline in the world): Lepa, Falealili, Lalomanu, Aufaga with Paradise Cove, Matatufu, Lotofaga, Aleipata district, the list goes on. In the chaos and debris and blocked roads, I cannot see the rescue teams being able to reach all the villages within the next day or so. They will need more manpower and equipment than Samoa presently has.
God Bless Samoa. Please. Time for prayer.
Children of the Tsunami Their Sacrifices Made Sacred
Posted: November 7, 2009 | Author: PacificEyeWitness.com | Filed under: Analysis, Breaking News, Business, Community, Current, Earthquake Tsunami Samoa/AmSampa 09, Environment, health, Honour & Tribute, NZPacific, Opinion & Commentary, South Pacific Region, US & Foreign Affairs | Tags: Apia, Asian Development Bank Samoa, AusAID, Bestof, boys, capital, child, children of the pacific tsunami, Church, Community, earthquake, Emergencies And Disasters, following, horizontal, lalomanu, leauvaa, Lepa, maleala, manono island, mountain peak, National Disaster Council Samoa, natural disaster, nzaid, Operation Niuatoputapu, poutasi, red cross samoa, ruin, saaga, sacrifice, Saleapaga, samoa, Samoa Police, samoa tsunami, Satitoa, save the childrenfund, strength, survivors, topics, Topix, tsunami, UNICEF in Samoa, United Nations Office of the Co-ordination of Humanitarian Affairs, vaovai, victim support samoa, Village, weather, young | 4 Comments[picapp src=”5/4/9/8/Further_Quake_Hits_3647.jpg?adImageId=7160128&imageId=6682299″ width=”500″ height=”313″ /]
This is in honour of the children who died in the Pacific Tsunami of Tuesday 29th September 2009. Writing about them, after hearing their stories, and seeing the casualty list, is no easy task. It feels so deeply personal, and painful, particularly if you have ever loved and looked after a child, whether your own or another’s.
To bring you this report on what is being done for the surviving children, we talked to people on the ground in Samoa and American Samoa. We poured through official documents and reports from aid and government agencies working in Samoa and Niuatoputapu. We read the blogs of volunteers and long established grassroots groups in Samoa. We contacted some of them, and they responded. We analysed the casualty list for Samoa.
We wanted to know precisely how many children, women, men and elderly died in the tsunami. Until now, that had never been precisely identified. After reading through the data from the casualty list, I understand why. There are still bodies unidentified, and some unknowns as to gender, age or where they were found. Tragic for those still missing relatives and yet to find and identify their bodies.
The other reality is that the death toll for Samoa is likely higher than the official casualty list reveals. That’s because many families in the outback villages reportedly buried their dead as soon as they were found(given the heat of Samoa it’s obvious why). They did not , as a matter of course, always notify authorities. And if you know the rugged vast and hilly landscape of the South Coast of Upolu, and the realities of being poor, and living in the remote outback villages out there, you’ll know that contact with officials in Apia is hardly straightforward.
It’s not like they can get in the car and just drive them and return. No, particularly if you have no telephone, no car, no regular hourly bus service, and little cash to be able to afford to make the trip to town, which is about an hour and a half away. First priorities are survival, never mind attending to bureaucratic demands when basic survival needs, and trauma, are pressing.
Throw into those daily normal realities, the sudden trauma, tragedy, homelessness, and sorrow caused by the tsunami and earthquake, you get the picture?
With all that we have heard, and read, one thing is clear: it is a sheer miracle that more did not lose their lives along the South Coast of Upolu, Samoa, and on the island of Niuatoputapu on that Black Tuesday 29th September. Those islands are so exposed to the elements.
So it is with deep gratitude that many both in Samoa, and overseas guests, say they owe their lives to young people ,and children, who went back to rescue grandparents, or helped tourists to flee. That is the Samoan way. Still, their sacrifice is difficult to voice. It is utterly sorrowful that lives were lost, particularly considering that many of those who died in Samoa were among our most vulnerable: children, women and elderly grandparents. Tonga lost 7 adults and 2 children, with many injured including 7 seriously wounded by the tsunami.
As for American Samoa, for those who have been emailing us for information, we are unable to provide any official information on casualties, other than what is available on Samoa News. The local newspaper has tracked at least 22 of the known casualties, out of 34 reportedly killed on the island. American Samoa Government refuses to release any information or names of casualties to its citizens, citing a health privacy policy to prevent the release of its casualty list.
This is a story we will follow ongoingly.
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Children Lost to the Tsunami
In Niuatoputapu, two of the victms were identified as children, one an infant. In Samoa, over 70 of the bodies identified on the official casualty list, were infants and young children under the age of 11. That’s staggering considering the official death toll is around 149. That’s almost 50 percent of the total official death toll. These beautiful children were found in the villages of Lalomanu, Saleapaga, Poutasi, Apolima Tai, Leauvaa, Lepa, Malaela, Saaga, Satitoa and Vaovai.
Of the children, 37 were boys and 33 were girls. The youngest known child was just under two months old, Shanna Faith Lanu, who was found in Lalomanu. The eldest was 11 years old boy, named Amatagi Tiotio, found in the village of Poutasi.
The youngest adult victim was 20 year old Leuetu Lesa found in Lalomanu; the eldest victim was 106 year old grandmother Faanunu Talapa found in Satitoa, according to police records. Of those adults, where the age and gender is known, 37 were female and 11 were male.
There are also unidentified persons of unknown age or name from other villages so it is not known, from the data, whether they are children or adults. Except where they are named Baby Tsunami for example, as one child is. Those on the casualty list without age, five are male and 21 are female. One female, found in Lalomanu, remains unknown and unidentified by name or age.
In addition, there are also bodies of children on the casualty list who are listed as “unknown”. We have heard, from people in Samoa, of stories of grandmothers still waiting to find the bodies of their children, boys and girls. This week, Samoa’s Head of State publicly shared the experience of one such grandmother still waiting to find out, almost two months later, if her grandson’s body has been found.
All our love and thoughts go to the parents and families of all the children here.
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Children Left Orphaned & Displaced
UNICEF says there are 3,500 displaced people including up to 2,000 displaced girls and boys. Tsunami victims total 149 deaths and more than 300 injured. In terms of orphaned children, whose parents have perished in the tsunami, Victim Support Samoa located about 36 in the early days straight after the tsunami. They are being cared for by Victim Support Samoa in their shelters.
When we last spoke to the Samoa office, at least half had been reunited with extended family. A remaining 15 to 20, we were told, will be reunited with their extended families once they have completed reconstructing their homes in Lalomanu. The last remaining orphaned children are from the village of Lalomanu.
A meeting was held a few weeks ago in Lalomanu to discuss the children’s future with the extended family. They have fielded many calls from locals and families abroad wishing to adopt. But Victim Support stressed that the orphans have extended family, and until families say otherwise, the children will return to them, once reconstruction has completed.
In the aftermath of the tsunami, UNICEF and Save the Children s said they would help to establish Child Friendly Spaces in mixed shelters and conduct awareness raising campaigns to prevent gender-based violence. They said registration and monitoring of families and children in the shelters need to be followed up, with particular attention to unaccompanied children.
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Child Health
In Niuatoputapu, the hospital is temporarily based at the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints as a short-term solution. It has sufficient basic supplies and medicines to meet immediate needs. However, general equipment such as beds, drug cabinets and examining tables are required for the hospital to become fully functional. Seven were seriously injured in the tsunami.
In Samoa, exposure to the tsunami has compromised the health of affected children, and adults, making them more suspectible to disease, particularly respiratory and other illnesses. New Zealand Samoan medical doctor Teuila Percival, who was in Samoa when the tsunami and then worked as part of the medical team there, said one of the respiratory conditions known as tsunami lung is caused by high pressure polluted sea water hitting the lungs.
The high level of risk to the tsunami children has brought out World Health Organisation and UNICEF backing Samoa Government’s nationwide measles and immunisation campaign. More than 32, 000 children are expected to benefit from the six-week campaign which started 26th October
The Samoan National Health Service is conducting the campaign in conjunction with the Ministry of Health and providing trained health workers to administer the vaccinations.
UNICEF are providing vaccines, vitamin A supplements, syringes and safety boxes, as well as cold-chain equipment that is needed to keep vaccines at a constant temperature in the tropical heat.
Vitamin A is administered along with the measles vaccination as doctors say it significantly increase children’s resistance to infection, particularly measles and diarrhoeal diseases.
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Schooling for Children Post-Tsunami
In Niuatoputapu, the primary schools in Hihifo and Falehau have been partly damaged. They are under temporary rehabilitation, but require long-term reconstruction. High school is used as an operation centre for the relief operation. Schooling is continuing with temporary accommodation. A situation report last month from the Operation Niuatoputapu Command Post indicated that basic school supplies are the most urgently needed items.
In Samoa, UNICEF Emergency Education Specialist, Phuong T. Nguyen, says that preliminary results indicate the tsunami completely destroyed 11 pre-schools and badly damaged a further five including Falealili Secondary School and another one in Ulutogia. An estimated 600 to 1000 children are directly affected.
“The typical preschool in Samoa has one classroom, with a water tank and toilet facility, with two teachers serving 35-40 children aged two-and-a-half to 5 years-of-age.”
Grade 8 students resumed schooling on 14 October. The lower primary-grade students are returning to schools. Priority was given to the higher-grade students who need to prepare for the annual examination which starts on 2 November. This phased approach allows the education cluster to assist the Ministry of Education, Sports and Culture (MESC) to address needs such as establishment of temporary learning space, WASH facilities and transportation of affected students to host schools.
• MESC is providing stationery, five tents, five water tanks and hired vehicles to transport relocated students.
• All needs, including school furniture, a classroom tent, water tanks, latrines and first aid kits, are assumed to have been met through education cluster partners’ commitments. The coordinated support will ensure the full resumption of schooling for approximately 1,000 affected students.
o United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF) will provide 15 tents; 12 latrines; 14 recreational kits; 14 first aid kits; 2,000 bottles of drinking water; and 7,000 Information Education, Communication materials.
o Save the Children and Tear Fund committed to support furniture procurement.
o Asian Development Bank, NZAID and AusAID will provide eight water tanks for schools.
A draft report on the tsunami-affected schools, and their needs, was forwarded to the National Disaster Council to be shared with the Education Cluster on the 9th October.
Education Cluster members developed a detailed education response plan.
Excerpt from UNICEF blog post: Children Helping Children
By David Youngmeyer
Information: Samoa Casualty List, Red Cross Samoa, UNICEF Pacific(Suva), United Nations Office for the Co-ordination of Humanitarian Affairs