Location
Mulivai, Safata District, Upolu Island, Samoa
Community Description
Mulivai is a small village of about 450 people, located in the district of Safata on the south side of the island of Upolu in Samoa. Most residents work as subsistence farmers, with some gaining extra income by working at two high-end resorts located in a nearby village.
There are some very active groups within the community, such as the aualuma (women’s committee), the school committee, and the autalavou (church youth group). There is one primary school that serves the village children, and a Catholic church.
The group that will work on this project is the Mulivai Catholic Youth Group (Mulivai Autalavou Lotu Katoliko). This group is made up of males and females from age 15 to age 40. They are active in the church and community, working to raise money for both groups. Approximately forty village youths are involved in this group.
While the villagers work hard to keep their family compounds clean, it is difficult to dispose of solid waste in a safe and appropriate way. There is garbage pick-up on the island, but it only comes twice a week. In addition, the garbage trucks currently do not serve any houses located off of the main road.
Villagers often dispose of their trash by dumping it behind their houses, burning it, or by leaving it on elevated garbage stands (fata) on the side of the road. However, many of the fata are not properly constructed, so dogs often jump up on them, tearing the garbage bags open and scattering trash all over. Much of this trash then ends up in the river, where many of the villagers get their drinking water.
Project Description
This project is to protect the drinking water in the river by building garbage stands for each of the family compounds in the village and to improve the existing stands so that dogs cannot access the trash. This includes building larger stands at the entrance to side roads so that they can hold all the trash from the families located on these roads.
Project funds will be used to purchase wooden shipping pallets and nails for building the elevated stands, as well for transport of the pallets from Apia to the village. Pallets are available inexpensively from the shipping companies located in the capital city.
The work will be completed by the boys and men of the autalavou. After the construction of the fata, the members of the autalavou will conduct a village-wide garbage clean-up to raise awareness of the importance of using the garbage stands rather than disposing of trash in the backyards.
The youth group, with the assistance of the two village Peace Corps Volunteers, will also educate the community on the difference between organic and inorganic waste and which should be disposed of in the garbage stands.
Project Impact
This project will affect all the 450 residents of the village, in addition to the population of the neighboring village of Maninoa, many of whom also get their drinking water from the river that originates in Mulivai.
Peace Corps Volunteer Directing Project
David Nacmanie
Comments
This is an important project to protect the water in the river, which is used for drinking and other household use, from contamination. In addition, it prevents the spread of disease that comes from mosquitos and vermin.
Dollar Amount of Project
$555.00
Donations Collected to Date
$555.00
Dollar Amount Needed
$0.00 – This project has been fully funded through the generosity of The Soneva SLOW LIFE Trust as a part of their Clean Water Projects initiative.
We encourage others to continue to donate using the Donate button below, and we will notify Peace Corps Volunteer David Nacmanie of your donation. Additional funds will be used to fund the next project by David and/or those other PCVs in the country of service.
This project has been finished. To read about the conclusion of the project, CLICK HERE.