Petelo, like many of his peers, suffered from discrimination because of leprosy. When first diagnosed with leprosy, he was living at Aleipata with his wife and son and extended family. Afraid of leprosy, the extended family wanted him to leave Aleipata and go to live with his wife’s family in Apia. While living there, one of his sons was also diagnosed with leprosy.

Staying in Apia was also difficult for him because some of his wife’s extended family also discriminated against him and his son. When his wife died, her family wanted him to leave their property, so he spent several years leading a nomadic life living short periods of time with different members of his family.

Finally, in 2021, one of his nephews who owned a piece of land near Apia, told him he could stay there if he wanted to. One of Petelo’s sons built a small one-room shelter on the land and started living there. Then two of his daughters, built a flimsy open fale on the land and started to live in it with their families. There are now a total of 9 people living there. Having nowhere else to go, Petelo stays there with them.

The Foundation would like to make life a bit more comfortable for Petelo. He is being given a small monthly allowance so he can buy his own daily essentials and now the Foundation wants to improve the shelter he lives in and the bathroom and toilet facilities. Your help by donating to the Foundation will make Petelo’s life more comfortable after so many years of discrimination and having to move from place to place.