Inclusive Education Capacity Development 

The Ministry of Education, Sports and Culture in Samoa promotes quality and sustainable development in all aspects of education, sports and culture. 

This project will address the priority areas of the Inclusive Education Capacity Development Plan, which will increase school, teacher and teacher aid skills in catering for the needs of students living with disability. 

With the support of the Australian Volunteers Program Impact Fund, this project will:

• support the professional development of Inclusive Education Unit staff in data collection, monitoring and evaluation of schools
• train school inspectors in applying the inclusive school self-assessment matrix and inclusive school goal development plan
• deliver inclusive education awareness training in how to identify children with disabilities, differentiated teaching and learning strategies, and how schools can work with families and the community in supporting students
• support teachers to create individual education plans for students with disabilities.

Sustainable Livelihood Through Education  

Women in Business Inc is dedicated to strengthening village economies in Samoa in ways that honour indigenous customs, use traditional and modern technology, and promote fair trade.  

Women in Business currently employs two staff who are deaf and two staff who are living with other disabilities. This project will facilitate sign language and Braille classes for all Women in Business staff, to help improve communication across the team and make the workplace more accessible for other people living with disabilities.    

With the support of the Australian Volunteers Program Impact Fund, this project will:

• conduct 20 training sessions on sign language for Women in Business staff and other interested participants
• conduct 20 training sessions on Braille lessons for Women in Business staff and other interested participants. 

The Solution is Less Pollution - Project Extension (Organisational Strengthening)

The National University of Samoa is addressing low recycling rates, high contamination and high litter volumes generated by 4,400 staff and students across all campuses.

This project aims to improve recycling by 70% within the first year and 80 per cent after the campus roll-out.

With the support of the Australian Volunteers Program Impact Fund, this project will:

• support the Planning Unit and students undertaking the Waste Management Course to develop a research survey that will produce data to build and refine actions
• produce an environmental talk show to generate motivation for recycling through identifying positive and relevant outcomes which directly impact the target audience
• support students of the Waste Management Course to deliver a public seminar on the outcomes of the project as part of their curriculum.

Formalise the accreditation of Samoa human resource national competencies

Samoa Human Resource Institute (SHRI) is a professional institute formalising human resources (HR) as a profession and creating professional standards and categories of membership.

SHRI aims to improve the standard of the HR industry in Samoa by offering training to private and public sector employees and working with the National University of Samoa to develop programs and a degree in Human Resources Management.

With the support of the Australian Volunteers Program Impact Fund, this project will:

• deliver a workshop with local HR practitioners to develop HR competencies
• analyse draft competencies with the public sector, private sector and tertiary provider
• design HR courses or programs for accreditation
• submit national human resource competencies for local accreditation by the Samoa Qualifications Authority.

This project will allow SHRI to formalise key standards and competencies that could be used nationally to accredit the HR profession.

Enhancing nationwide capacity about cancer 

The Samoa Cancer Society will produce talkback programs to address misconceptions about cancer and share information about health promotion practices and screening initiatives.  

Traditional beliefs play an important role in shaping attitudes about health and disease causation in Samoa. Disease prevention is not seen as an integral part of 'fa’aSamoa' (Samoan language, customs of relationships, and culture). Modesty, fear or a lack of knowledge can inhibit community engagement with cancer prevention practices and participation in screening programs. Cancer can be seen as a 'palagi' (westerner) disease, caused by spirits or a punishment from God. 

The project will address knowledge gaps and misperceptions about cancer in the context of Samoan cultural norms and practices. It will harness the influence of family, chiefs and church leaders in fa'aSamoa to share its messages.  

With the support of the Australian Volunteers Program Impact Fund, this project will:  

• record, produce, broadcast and livestream 12 30-minute talkback programs on mainstream and digital media platforms 
• produce videos and resources translated in English subtitles and sign language interpretation 
• engage with community stakeholders and partner organisations to select program topics and tailor resources 
• review community feedback of talkback programs and their understanding about cancer. 

Strengthening community resilience against climate variability and water scarcity 

The Independent Water Schemes Association will support the purchase of a logger and ultrasonic flow-meter to assess the condition of community water sources in Samoa. The project will improve community capacity and strengthen awareness of water conservation, water quality, climate change and environmental stewardship. 

The Independent Water Schemes Association supports more than 50 communities in Samoa to manage their own water supply networks. These water supplies are intermittent, untreated and of variable quality. Data collection is critical to making informed sustainable water management decisions so rural communities can remain resilient during times of climate variability and water scarcity.  

‍With the support of the Australian Volunteers Program Impact Fund, this project will:‍ 

• procure a logger and ultrasonic flow meter 
• hold a workshop with government water stakeholders and partner organisations 
• hold a consultative workshop with Samoan communities to actively engage them in water source assessments 
• train staff and operators to use water instruments and keep records 
• use water instruments to conduct assessments at each community 
• analyse and share the findings of these assessments. 

‍‍‍This project will improve community health and livelihoods by improving management of water sources and networks. It will provide data to support the development of actions that mitigate the impact of climate variability, water shortages and natural disasters.‍‍‍ 

Campus plastic bottle and aluminium can recycling 

The National University of Samoa will improve the recycling of plastic bottles and aluminium cans at its campuses. The project will collaborate with the University's student association to develop and produce organic and paid social, digital and broadcast media advertising to target staff and students. 

The University currently provides collection, storage and transportation of plastic bottles and aluminium cans. However, audits have identified low recycling rates, high contamination and litter generated by staff and students across its campuses.  

With the support of the Australian Volunteers Program Impact Fund, this project will develop organic and paid media campaigns that highlight the benefits of recycling to staff and students. It will use role models and respected influencers to address the major barriers and motivations to the new behaviour requests. This project will support paid placement of news and promotional items through YouTube, Facebook and television advertising.   

The project aims to improve recycling by 70% in the first year, increasing to 80% per year when the whole University is included. It will improve students’ understanding about their individual impact on the environment, leading to changing attitudes and behaviours. ‍Through collaborative efforts with stakeholders, this project aims to support the University’s Waste Management Plan vision of creating a cleaner and healthier learning environment.

Securing the Samoa Fire & Emergency Services Authority and its employees against COVID-19-linked events

The Samoa Fire & Emergency Services Authority will build the capabilities and knowledge base of first responders and staff to possible COVID-19 cases.