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This website is supported by Grant Number 90ZD0009 from the Office of Family Assistance within the Administration for Children and Families, a division of the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services. Neither the Administration for Children and Families nor any of its components operate, control, are responsible for, or necessarily endorse this website (including, without limitation, its content, technical infrastructure, and policies, and any services or tools provided). The opinions, findings, conclusions, and recommendations expressed are those of the author(s) and do not necessarily reflect the views of the Administration for Children and Families and the Office of Family Assistance.

Headquarters: 454 E. Carson Plaza Dr. #109, Carson, CA 90746

Sacramento Main Office 2255 Watt Ave., Suite 385 Sacramento, CA 9582

Sacramento Satellite Office 11779 Bagota Way Rancho Cordova, CA 95742

June V. Pouesi, Executive Director

Talofa!

These are challenging times in California. With gas prices and the overall cost of living rising sharply, and the ongoing difficulties facing families across Los Angeles, many in our community are feeling the pressure. We see the extra hours you are working, the sacrifices you are making, and the worry you carry for your families.

Even in these difficult moments, I want to remind you of the strength that defines us as Samoan people. Our Christian heritage has always guided us, teaching us to trust in God, to lean on prayer, and to find hope in His faithfulness. Let us hold fast to our values of aiga (family), fa’a Samoa (the Samoan way), and caring for one another. In these trying times, may we draw closer to God and to our families for strength and comfort.

Together, we move onward. This season will pass, and we will emerge stronger as a community. Please know that the Office of Samoan Affairs stands ready to assist you. If you or your family need support, do not hesitate to call our office.

Fa’afetai tele. Be strong, trust in the Lord, take care of one another, and keep moving forward.

June

Opportunity

SPOTLIGHT

OSA GARDEN

OSA Wrap

OSA Wrap 2

Samoan Community

Pacific Community

- Samoan Flag Day Celebration Marks Its 50th Anniversary in Carson, 2026
  Carson, California, once again served as the heart of Samoan cultural life in the United States this summer with the 50th Anniversary of Samoan Flag Day Los Angeles. Held August 1–8, 2026, at Victoria Regional Park, the week-long festival is the original and longest-running Samoan Flag Day celebration in the country, dating back to 1975.
  The event draws tens of thousands from across the Samoan diaspora—uniting families and communities from both American Samoa and the independent nation of Samoa—alongside friends and neighbors from the broader South Bay. Organizers framed this milestone year around the theme “Taking It Back To Our Roots – Toe Fo’i I Lo Tā’ua Fa’avae!” emphasizing cultural preservation, faith, family, and service (tautua).
  Highlights included an international cricket (kilikiti) tournament with teams from places such as Hawaii, Utah, and Australia; vibrant cultural performances featuring traditional dance, music, and Siva Afi (fire knife); authentic Samoan foods; arts and crafts vendors; and community gatherings that keep fa’a Samoa—the Samoan way—alive for younger generations. Performers such as island reggae artist Siaosi appeared during the week, and free admission kept the celebration accessible to all.
  Carson’s deep Samoan roots make the city a natural home for the festival. For half a century the gathering has offered a living expression of heritage rather than a museum display, strengthening identity and community ties in one of the largest Samoan populations outside the islands. As the 50th anniversary drew to a close, it stood as both a joyful reunion and a renewed commitment to passing culture, language, and values forward.

Samoan Healers Collaborate to Safeguard Traditional Knowledge

TALAMUA

Some of the traditional healers collaborating with government agencies to safeguard traditional medicinal knowledge passed down the generations.

Samoan Traditional Healers are collaborating with government agencies to develop a national framework to safeguard traditional healing knowledge passed down through generations.

Representatives from the Traditional Healers Association; Ministry of Commerce, Industry and Labour (MCIL); Scientific Research Organisation of Samoa (SROS); Ministry of Health (MOH); Ministry of Natural Resources and Environment (MNRE); Office of the Attorney General; Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Trade; and the Ministry of Education and Culture, met today to discuss a way forward.

MCIL Chief Executive Officer, Fepuleai Roger Toleafoa highlighted the important role of traditional healers, describing them as stewards of God’s work.

Dr Taralina Gae’e Atefi said medical doctors receive largely the same curriculum globally, while traditional healers possess knowledge deeply rooted in Samoa’s culture and communities.

Dr Taralina Gae’e Atefi welcomed the re-establishment of the Traditional Healers Society

She said doctors sometimes want to refer patients to traditional healers but do not know where to refer them.

Dr Atefi welcomed the re-establishment of the Traditional Healers Society and suggested developing clear referral pathways so doctors and traditional healers can work alongside each other.

MCIL Assistant Chief Executive Officer, Houlton Fa’asau explained that Samoa is also engaging with international efforts to protect traditional knowledge.

He highlighted the 2024 World Intellectual Property Organization (WIPO) Treaty on Intellectual Property, Genetic Resources and Associated Traditional Knowledge, which introduces a mandatory patent disclosure requirement aimed at preventing biopiracy.

MCIL Chief Executive Officer, Fepuleai Roger Toleafoa highlighted the important role of traditional healers.

SROS Bio-Discovery and Molecular Research Division Manager, Funefeai Fiaigoa Malolo, stressed the importance of preserving Samoan language and ancestral knowledge.

Surveys by SROS have documented more than 100 plants in Samoa with potential biological and health-related properties.

The member from MNRE, Czarina Iese Stowers outlined the processes overseas researchers must follow when accessing traditional knowledge and medicinal resources, including requirements under the Nagoya Protocol on Access and Benefit-sharing.

Traditional Healers Association President, Saumalu Teofilo urged authorities to strengthen safeguards against overseas researchers taking traditional knowledge without proper protection or recognition.

The agencies hope stronger systems will protect traditional healers’ rights while allowing traditional knowledge, research and biodiversity work to benefit Samoa and future generations.

Death penalty on the consultation table for narcotics offenders

Lagi Keresoma

The Chief Executive Officer of the Ministry of Justice & Courts Administration (MJCA), Papalii John Taimalelagi (standing left) presenting on behalf of the Ministry at the launch of the Lalaga Le Va Program this morning.

The death penalty will be one of the issues up for consideration when the Criminal Procedures Act 2016 is up for review.

This was confirmed by the Chief Executive Officer of the Ministry of Justice & Courts Administration (MJCA), Papalii John Taimalelagi who was presenting on behalf of the Ministry at the launch of the Lalaga Le Va Program this morning.

After his presentation, the public was given a chance to ask questions and most of the questions were on the penalty for drug offenders and the repeat offending by the same people.

Papalii explained that the court based its decision on the severity of the offence and the highest penalty is imprisonment for life.

A chart showing a stiff rise in illegal drugs offending with 80% of offenders sentenced to prison.

However, with the high incidence of methamphetamine in the country, the Government is looking at reviewing the Act especially with the number of very young people now affected.

Papalii said before anything is endorsed, there will be a public consultation on amendments to the Act and this is where recommendations and public feedback will be placed on the table.

Some of the recommendations already up for consideration are the years served by an offender before granting parole.

Currently the Act allows an offender to serve half of the sentence before applying for parole, but the intended review has already looked at a non-parole opportunity for drug offenders.

“Perhaps 40 to 50 years imprisonment if not a life sentence, but if things get worse, then perhaps another alternative should be considered,” said Papalii.

He confirmed that the death penalty sentence is only for murder offenders but has not been activated for decades.

The Ministry is currently working with the Office of the Attorney General and other stakeholders in preparing legal documentation for the review.

Part of the audience at today’s launch of the Lalaga Le Va Program that focused on the negative impact of illegal drugs on society.

ECONOMY: Samoa

American Samoa's Economic Development Authority announced two new bond series (2025A and 2025B) totaling millions for revenue refunding, amid threats to its fishing economy from climate change, deep-sea mining, and overfishing. A new $9 million Frankie Siusega Supermarket opened on October 25, signaling retail growth.

HEALTH CONCERNS

Health authorities report a surge in influenza and dengue fever cases, with over 200 confirmed dengue infections in the past week alone. Vaccination drives for flu are underway, and vector control measures (e.g., mosquito fogging) are intensified in Apia. In neighboring American Samoa (often covered in tandem due to shared health risks), a dengue outbreak has reached 348 confirmed cases, with sustained transmission.

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New multi-ministry programme launched

SamoaCommunity

By Grace Ah Ching

Samoa’s fight against illegal drugs and violence is moving beyond the police station, with the government turning to families, villages, schools and communities to stop problems before they become crises.

That approach drove the launch of “Lalaga Le Vā” or “Weaving Sacred Relationships” on Tuesday, bringing ministries and communities together to tackle illegal drugs and violence before they escalated.

The programme is being carried out through PACT Samoa, the National Taskforce on Drugs and Violence.

It brings together the Ministry of Family and Social Affairs, Samoa Police, Prisons and Corrections Services, the Ministry of Justice and Courts Administration, the Ministry of Health and the Ministry of Education and Culture.

The launch was attended by Prime Minister Laaulialemalietoa Leuatea Schmidt, Cabinet ministers and senior government officials.

Lalaga le Va program (Photo: Junior S. Ami )

The programme focuses on prevention and early intervention, with government and community leaders identifying gaps in existing services and looking at how ministries can respond before citizens reach a breaking point.

Papali’i John Taimalelagi, Chief Executive Officer of the Ministry of Justice and Courts Administration, said the programme was also about rebuilding and strengthening relationships with all stakeholders including local communities.

“Lalaga Le Vā is about the relationship between you and God and the relationship with other fellow people,” said Papali’i.

For police, the programme also represents a shift in how Samoa responds to drugs and violence.

Acting Police Commissioner Leiataua Samuelu Afamasaga said the initiative gave government ministries an opportunity to work together on issues affecting families, villages and the wider country.

“This is a great chance to have another communication and to strongly encourage us all to stand and work together,” Leiataua said.

Acting Police Commissioner Leiataua Samuelu Afamasaga (Photo: Junior S. Ami )

He said enforcement alone could not solve the problem.

“The solution is not arrest, raid nor jail but for people to work together with the Ministry of Police.”

Lalaga Le Vā places families, villages, churches and schools alongside government ministries, recognising that preventing drugs and violence requires action within communities, not only after a crime has occurred.

The programme is supported by the Australian High Commission and United Nations Children’s Fund.

The government’s message was clear “say no to illegal drugs, say no to violence and say yes to hope.”

China reaffirms seabed minerals support as US prepares to station scientist in Rarotonga

Losirene Dasalusalu for

Cook Islands News

Caption:US Ambassador to the Cook Islands Jared Novelly (left), China’s ambassador to the Cook Islands, Dr Wang Xiaolong (right).Photo credit:Cook Islands News

As the United States steps up its engagement, China has reaffirmed its support for the Cook Islands’ seabed mineral exploration through continued custom training programmes and ocean research surveys.

China reaffirmed its commitment, highlighting ongoing training programmes, as the United States prepares to base a scientist in-country to work with the Seabed Minerals Authority (SBMA).

Last month, Dr Erik Noble, the assistant secretary of Oceans and Atmosphere at the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA), announced that a US Embassy Science Fellow would be based in the Cook Islands, strengthening the scientific relationship between the two countries, building on information gathered during the expedition of the NOAA ship Okeanos Explorer

The US scientist Dr Nicole Bartlett of NOAA – an Embassy Science Fellow (ESF) will be based in Rarotonga, starting this November, to provide “technical scientific expertise” as the nation continues its deep-sea mineral exploration phase, the US Embassy in New Zealand had earlier confirmed.

China’s ambassador to the Cook Islands, Dr Wang Xiaolong in a recent visit, was asked whether China would also consider stationing a scientist in the Cook Islands.

Dr Wang told Cook Islands News, “I understand the basing of a US scientist is largely for capacity building purposes, and we have been doing capacity building exercises together with these Cook Islands sites as well for some time.

He said China is currently running a custom-designed training programme for 20 Cook Islanders, aimed at building local capacity and in-house expertise for seabed mineral exploration and development.

“We’ve put together this custom-designed training programme for them to help them build up the capacity and to develop in-house, in-situ expertise so that you could have the best knowledge to help you make the best plans to ensure the best processes to maximise benefits for Cook Islands once you decide to take the step on exploration and development of those resources,” Dr Wang added.

Around October last year, Dr Wang said China had the first voyage of the scientific survey ship, Chinese ocean research vessel, RV Da Yang Hao, “which helped to collect data doing the preliminary and foundational survey for seabed conditions, the environment, as well as those data in relation to seabed minerals.”

He said the idea is to support the efforts of the Cook Islands Government to explore and develop those resources to support the long-term sustainable development of the Cook Islands as a nation.

“Of course we would want to do it in a way that would be agreed with the Cook Islands on one side, to serve Cook Islands’ priorities, and at the same time in that process ensure that we’ll adequately protect the environment so that the process would be sustainable, not only in the economic sense, but also in terms of the environmental soundness.”

Dr Wang added that they are working on another voyage, another survey ship with the Cook Government and relevant authorities, “hopefully that will take place within the course of this year.”

The Cook Islands is increasingly drawing international interest for its seabed minerals, with both China and the US stepping up engagement through capacity building and scientific cooperation.

The United States and New Zealand, and the Cook Islands recently announced the co-funded NZ$101 million project for Penrhyn port where US Deputy Secretary of State Landau stated that the project builds on the Critical Minerals Framework signed earlier this year.

‘Work with any partners’ – US Ambassador

US Ambassador to the Cook Islands Jared Novelly, in an interview with Cook Islands News, was asked whether the United States welcomes China’s involvement in Cook Islands seabed minerals exploration.

Novelly stressed that it was up to the Cook Islands to decide which partners to work with for the benefit of its people.

“It’s not my purview or job to say,” the Ambassador said, when asked if China’s advisory role in seabed mining should be welcomed in a similar way to the US approach.

“I think that any partners, the Cook Islands owes it to their people to work with any partners.”

However, he noted the importance of sharing experiences from elsewhere in the Pacific, cautioning that there can be pitfalls when working with certain partners

“The only thing I could say is that I would probably share information from what’s happened in some of the other Pacific Islands. And I would be remiss by not reminding them of some of the pitfalls that working with certain partners has.

“And I think as long as you can be sure to protect yourself, then speaking with other partners makes all the sense in the world.”