“The gender responsive budgeting work is very timely for our Ministry and the government, as we are also rolling out the district development project. We have a responsibility to ensure the criteria for funding allocation and areas of work incorporate a gender perspective to promote gender equality that responds to the different needs of men, women and Samoa’s diverse population, and center help to those who first need it the most. This where the work of the Spotlight Initiative has been a blessing as it comes at a critical juncture to support the Ministry of Women, as the gender focal point, to develop and implement a budget strategy that benefits everyone.”  

Regarding how the Ministry can sustain its work in the EVAWG, or ending violence against women, space, Dr. Mema believes that: “We have in our hands the key and solutions to fix our problems. We should go back to our Samoan philosophies. Over the years, we’ve looked outside to bring in the solutions and interventions, but we also have in Samoa our own approaches that are much more relevant in our context, in the reality and practicality of this issue in Samoa.

In the cultural space, our philosophies range far and impact greatly in formulating our guiding principles that guide norms and behaviors such as alofa (love), va fetausi a’i (sacred relations), fa’aaloalo (respect). Our responsibility is to fine tune where the gaps are and contextualize approaches in accordance to their relevance and practicality in relation to issues. Samoans believe that in everything and anything you have your place in time. And this is why our beliefs and practices have been criticized over the years.

A lot of work in EVAWG has really got to do with interpretation and spirit of the human being where it is trying to rule something that is not his or hers. And where that is crucial is where the church comes in, and I urge Spotlight to invest in the work of our churches, our NGOs through the churches and the work of the National Council of Churches. In this work, we often hear that there are two main barriers, the interpretation of the Bible in relation to women, and the myths and legends of our fa’aSamoa that are used as a threat or weapons against women’s empowerment and freedom.” 

In going forward, Dr. Mema said: “The Ministry’s mandate is vital at the strategic and practical levels, right down to the grassroots. The lessons learned from the last two years, is for Spotlight to strengthen the alignment of its policy and operational framework and assistance to that of the government. It is very important to recognize there are already existing mechanisms in place to do the work. To ensure sustainable interventions that work, we need to contextualize the programme within our culture, and the spiritual realm. Some of our interventions are donor-driven and I encourage the focus of Spotlight Phase 2 to build on the direction of the framework that is there in the cultural and biblical space. Secondly, to help the Ministry in the driver’s seat, to effectively support the community and grassroots level representation. There has been assistance at government and civil society. We need now to turn our efforts to build our community workers representation which is the strength of the Ministry of Women in informing its policy work and carrying out the implementation arm of the Ministry.”