Weekly Prayer

Spanning across the six weeks of Lent each year, Project Compassion brings thousands of Australian schools, parishes and supporters together to raise funds for people living in some of the most vulnerable communities across the world.

This week, we enter the first week of Lent with the Project Compassion story about Toefuata'iga.

Toefuata'iga story, Samoa

Toefuata'iga, a 13-year-old student in Samoa, faced severe challenges and disruptions to her learning due to water scarcity. Toefuata'iga and her classmates faced frequent early school dismissals and missed lessons due to a lack of clean water. Teachers often had to leave the school to fetch water from nearby homes, adding strain to the staff and local community. The absence of a reliable water source also led to compromised hygiene, increasing the risk of dehydration and waterborne diseases, which affected students' health.

Despite being surrounded by water, many Samoans struggle with consistent access to clean drinking water, and resort to relying on rainwater or neighbours who have access to a water pipeline.

Climate change is leading to longer, drier periods. The Samoan Water Authority pipeline frequently needs to be shut down due to natural disasters and maintenance.

After Caritas Australia’s partner Caritas Samoa installed a 10,000 litre water tank at her school, Toefuata'iga and her classmates saw improved health and more consistent class attendance.

Please click on the following website to explore further Toefuata'iga story and the work of Project Compassion.

https://www.caritas.org.au/project-compassion/toefuataiga-story