[soft synthesizer music]
[speaking in Samoan]: I feel very happy that the government
has finally answered our prayers
because of the advocacy work that NOLA and its partners
have been doing throughout the years.
[speaking in Samoan]: Before we received this financial assistance,
it was always a need for us.
I believe that this type of assistance will be able to help
those of us with disabilities who need help.
[man giving instructions in Samoan]
Well, very recently we've been having conversations with members
where they stated that the disability allowance improves
their recognition as equal contributors of their families.
This benefit is assisting persons with disabilities to help
them when they go to the hospital to pay the doctor
and also pay for their medicines and treatments.
Persons with disabilities also participate in the village and the church,
and this assistance will help them to contribute towards church and village activities.
This financial assistance is also very important
because it also helps persons with disabilities to take care of their children.
As for now, we have started the roll out of the
disability allowance of 100 Tala per month
to approximately 3,000 members with disabilities,
as for the disability registry to date.
The cash allowance is not enough
to pay for the additional cost associated with the disability of individuals,
especially those with high support needs.
I would like to put forward a recommendation to people in power
to increase the benefit because the cost of living is increasing
[white cane clicking into place]
and there needs to be a consideration for caregivers of persons with disabilities.
[woman speaking in Samoan]
It would be good if we were able to travel on the ferry for free
like our senior citizens, who are covered under the elderly pension scheme.
When we started the program, there has not been any legal framework
to control how the program has to be done.
So at this point, we are discussing
having a provision under the Samoa National Provident Fund,
who also looks after the elderly pension,
to have a similar guideline for the disability allowance scheme,
and with the hope that having this provision in place,
the scope of the disability allowance will then expand
to include other things, such as the inter-island travel,
as well as the assistive devices,
as well as free medications, as the elderly benefit scheme has.
[upbeat piano music]
It is very important to have some form of legislation
that will guide the implementation of the benefit scheme,
which will act as a safeguard in case of any challenges that may arise in the future.
[music fades]