The Savaia village is located on the south-west coast of the island of Upolu, about 30 miles from Samoa’s capital Apia. The village has a population of about 600 people, 55 of whom are matais or chiefs.

Like other villages in Samoa, the affairs of the village are agreed and organized by the village council (the gathering of chiefs and orators of the village) which is the decision-making body for the village. The women’s committee which comprise all females in the village except those attending schools provide a forum for women to discuss issues and activities that contribute to the development and welfare of the women and ultimately the village as a whole.

The taulele’as of the village, the young men who no longer attend schools but are not matais, are the “implementers” of decisions by the village council. As future leaders of the village, they serve the matais and their families by making sure that there is enough to eat and that family members are looked after at all times.

Savaia has been hailed by many visitors as one of the most beautiful villages in the whole of Samoa. For the past 5 years, the Samoa Tourism Authority (STA) rated it as one of the “ten most beautiful” villages in Samoa. This year (2008), Savaia won the STA award for the Most Beautiful Village in Samoa.

Savaia’s Marine Reserve, funded by the GEF/UNDP Small Grants Program, has been hailed by UNDP and other international organizations as the most successful village-based, community-owned project in Samoa and indeed the Pacific. For more than 5 consecutive years, it has won the first prize for the best marine reserve project in Samoa by the Fisheries Division of the Ministry of Agriculture and Fisheries. Likewise, its giant clam recovery project has made the top prize its very own for the past 4 years.

Other projects successfully implemented by the village with support from the government and other partners include:

* The village seawall with funding by the Samoa government
* Sealing of the village access road by the government of Samoa
* Village water tanks funded by the European Union
* Women Committee’s fale funded by the European Union
* Village rubbish stands funded by the Global Greengrant Fund
* Restoration of coastal springs funded by the Global Greengrant Fund; and
* The Ecotourism Project jointly funded by the European Union and the GEF Small Grants Program

SAVAIA POPULATION DATA
Total households	55
Average household size	6
Total population*	600 (est)
Resident population (2006)**	331
Crude average age	26
Total resident males	179
Total resident females	152

* Including those not resident in village
** Source: Statistics Department, Ministry of Finance, Preliminary Data of Population & Housing Census 2006.

If you wish to find out some of the reasons behind Savaia’s success, please go to: Lessons Learned.