Measles Samoa Fund Appeal

Leapai Richard Brown of ASA Foundation as part of the MEASLES SAMOA FUND APPEAL and relief work presenting your kind donation to Rosina Iakopo and Teleiai Maeli of Faleasiu and Samatau, parents of 1 year old baby Simolo Rosalita at mortuary before burial tomorrow.

While the tears are still flowing, there is a smile knowing that they are not forgotten.

ASA Foundation is only able to help these grieving families because of ordinary people responding to our call for action. The MEASLES SAMOA FUND APPEAL goes directly to the people affected as you can see.

Thank you Lina Suluape Alaivaa Petelo for reaching out to us.

If your family or know of a family that lost a child. We want to help. Please contact us.

As the measles death toll in Samoa continues to rise, so is the urgency to help these families with the burial of their loved ones.

How can we have a normal day, especially being Samoan living overseas, when everyday we are seeing more children being buried in Samoa, some without coffins. We may feel helpless but we’re not hopeless...

ASA Foundation’s priority with its humanitarian and relief efforts is to help parents and families that have lost a child to measles in Samoa give their loved ones a proper and dignified burial.

ASA Foundation is grateful to companies, churches, organisations and individuals who have partnered with us to ensure there is a well coordinated operation to reach the people in need as soon as resources are available. Most donors that have contacted us wants assurance that their donations goes directly to the people.

“Seeing a young mother holding the motionless body of her deceased child wrapped in a white cloth at the back of a pick up truck, seeing the strain on the father’s face trying to be strong for his little family with their young girl crying uncontrollably.... this is not a far away country.... These children are our children, these families are our families, these people are our people, Samoa is our homeland. This is why we’re doing what we’re doing,” says Teleiai Edwin Puni, ASA Foundation chairman.

ASA Foundation, a New Zealand based not for profit organisation, has been on the ground in Samoa now for 3 weeks to find and support these families.

Today the most urgent assistance needed by the families directly affected with the loss of a child is financial assistance to give the children a proper burial, and supporting those children still hospitalised.

They say in the Pacific it takes a village to raise a child. But what if that innocent life is taken unexpectedly, especially when the death is preventable? How do you cope as a parent when your third child dies to the measles epidemic a few days after the other two were buried?

We acknowledge the significant humanitarian and medical assistance offered by the Government of New Zealand to Samoa. We are also very grateful to the generosity of ordinary New Zealanders and our Samoan people who are donating nappies, wipers, masks, gloves, hygiene and other supply to assist children that are hospitalised.

We are reaching out to you and anyone that is able to donate funds as this is the quickest way to get help to the families that have lost a child, especially the numbers keep rising. The crisis of the mind and the heart also deserves attention and support.

Please donate to the Givealittle page MEASLES SAMOA FUND APPEAL: https://givealittle.co.nz/cause/please-donate-to-measles-samoa-fund-appeal

CLICK link to view update: https://youtu.be/Rgnhpx7qol4

Contact Tuala Tagaloa Tusani on (+6421) 0223-8663 or email tagaloatusani@gmail.com if you wish to be involved in the collection of hygiene supply for Samoa. We have collection points in Auckland and Sydney with other overseas cities to be confirmed soon.

Please share our updates to people that care of what’s happening in Samoa. If you want to help and for more information contact Teleiai Edwin Puni on (+6421) 618-042 or email: edwin@puni.co.nz

Christmas this year will be a sad one for these families... we want to reach out to them with your help.

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