Miss Samoa Feagaimali’i Soti has launched an initiative to support child vendors and encourage them to stay in school.
The Suamalie Fa’aniu Aati program, launched on August 14th, targets children selling goods on the roadside to help their families.
Ms Soti said the name is inspired by the coconut tree, known in Samoa as the "tree of life" or La’au ole Ola.
“You keep working, keep biting, sometimes it’s difficult, but eventually you reach the popo and it tastes even sweeter because you know how hard you worked to get there, and that’s the beauty of hard work,” she said.
Soti also spoke about the importance of popo (coconut) in the lives of Samoan people, using it as a symbol of perseverance and the rewards that come from hard work.
