A school on the remote Manu’a Islands in American Samoa is facing food shortages due to supplies not reaching the island.
It is understood that the only government vessel that transports supplies is in need of engine repairs and sea transport services have been halted for a month now.
The territory’s education department announced last week that an alternative mode of transport was being considered to deliver food supplies; however, the pilot of the airline sought is currently off the island.
Requests have been made for local shop owners to assist the students affected, but the islanders say that store goods are also in short supply and this is not a practical solution for the problems being faced on the island.
In late September, the US government announced the release of more than seven million dollars worth of grant funding to American Samoa. The department of interior had earmarked about two million dollars, from the grant, for the design and construction of a ferry vessel to provide reliable transportation to and from the Manu’a Islands.
