Toefuata’iga – (Toy-foo-ah-tah-ing-ah) is a 13-year-old primary school student from Samoa. Samoa may be a country surrounded by water, but access to clean drinking water is scarce in some areas, with many families facing extreme hardship as a result.
Toefuata’iga’s school community struggled without reliable access to clean water, which impacted students’ education and hygiene. Teachers often had to leave the school to fetch water from nearby homes, disrupting lessons and adding strain to the community. When the water ran out at the school, students were sent home which meant they missed out on valuable learning time.
Thanks to the support of Caritas Australia in partnership with Caritas Samoa, Toefuata’iga’s school now has a 10,000 L water tank through a Water, Sanitation, and Hygiene (WASH) program. Teachers and students are now able to focus on education and improved hygiene.
“Now that we have the water tank, things are so much better, we can stay at school all day, and I get to spend more time learning and playing with my friends. I’m happy that we don’t have to go home early anymore.” – said Toefuata’iga.
This transformative story is just one example of how Caritas Australia’s Project Compassion creates waves of change around the world.
Watch Toefuata’iga’s story here.
Will you stand with students like Toefuata’iga this Lent?
Photo credit: Caritas Australia
Please donate today.
You can support Project Compassion 2025 through the donation boxes in classrooms
Or online at: caritas.org.au/project-compassion
Or by calling: 1800 024 413
Thank you for standing with us, as we Unite Against Poverty this Lent.
Kylie Phillips
Acting Principal