JuJu Pays Off $25,000 of Layaway For Christmas!
Samoan NFL player Juju Smith-Schuster and the Juju foundation paid off over $25,000 worth of layaway gifts earlier this week for families in need.
JuJu and his family teamed up with Pay Away the Layaway volunteers and Burlington Stores in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania and Compton, California to pay off Christmas gifts and essential products for over 170 families in need.
“I am truly blessed to be able to give back to families in Pittsburgh and California during the holidays,” said Smith-Schuster, about the donation. “We hope paying off these layaway balances will cause a sense of relief and lift the spirit of all of these families.”
Especially during 2020, this donation is a huge weight lifted off the shoulders of people and families in need during a holiday season that has been severely affected by the COVID-19 pandemic. Nonetheless, JuJu was able to help others and give a lot of people a reason to smile as the year is winding down.
Ashneel & Benita // Indian-Samoan Wedding
The wedding of Ashneel & Benita.
Check out the beautiful wedding ceremonies held for Ashneel (Indian) and Benita (Samoan) - a celebration of marriage and a celebration of two cultures coming together
Video credit: Canaan Ene
A1 Presents: The Producers Behind ONEFOUR
ONEFOUR is a breaking hip hop group from Mount Druitt, in Sydney, Australia.
Meet the producers Rick, i.amsolo, willstah and Khaled, who helped shape the sound and stories behind ONEFOUR's explosive debut EP 'Against All Odds'.
Listen to the EP in A1, Spotify Australia's flagship hip hop playlist, here: https://spoti.fi/A1HipHop
How to help in the Pacific when they've been affected by a natural disaster
If you come from the Pacific, chances are you’ve lived through a cyclone, flood or other natural disaster.
If your family and community back home is affected by disaster, naturally, you’re going to want to help.
But what if the way you choose to help is doing more harm than good? Would you change the way you donate?
Our friends at Donate Responsibly.Org have come through with some helpful tips and suggestions on their website that they organised with the World Food Programme
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We've got the information to share with your communities in English, Samoan, Fijian and Bislama.
Check them out below -
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FIJIAN
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SAMOAN
Samoa hard hit by climate change super cyclone - worst floods ever seen.
A mass clean up begins today in Samoa as the country gets back on its feet after extensive flooding just before Christmas.
The severe flooding on Friday forced families to be moved into evacuation shelters as the country begins to count the cost of one of the worst floods in recent memory. A gym in Tuanaimato set up by MNRE was also set up as an evacuation shelter.
“This was the worst flooding we have ever seen in the history of Samoa” local resident Cecelia Keil says. “And so close to Christmas too. A lot of people have lost everything and nowhere to stay. There's a family of 10 now living next door to us flooded out of their home at Faatoia. It’s the worst thing to happen to people already suffering from no income this year”
This morning a massive clean continues to be underway with off duty police and low risk prisoners working hard to clear damage.…more
FIJI: Tropical Cyclone Yasa aftermath
“My fellow Fijians .. the storm is passing, the sun has risen and we are still here…” Fijian PM Frank Bainimarama
Three fatalities have been confirmed in Fiji as a result of yesterday’s Cyclone - a 45yr old man near Labasa, a 67yr old man near Yadua and a three-month-old baby from Narua Settlement. Fatalities are sadly expected to rise.
Fiji Prime Minister Frank Bainimarama says Fiji will recover, rebuild and once again prevail following the ‘assault’ caused by Category 5 Tropical Cyclone Yasa that tore through the island nation in the past 48 hours.
“Due to climate change these storms may be getting stronger but they will never be stronger than we are..”, encouraged Banimarama who was seen visiting rural communities in most affected areas of the storm immediately after it had passed.
Super-cyclone Yasa’s assault on Fiji began in the Yasawas yesterday afternoon. The storm made landfall as a category five system last night in the Bua Province of Vanua Levu with wind speeds up to 345 kilometres per hour.…more
Say Something - Breaking Silence
PG (Parental Guidance Recommended for Younger Viewers)
Domestic abuse affects many families in Pacific communities in New Zealand. But finding people to speak to about it was tougher than Simonne expected. Abuse is shrouded in secrecy and shame and people rarely speak publicly about it. So, when Simonne discovered a video called Say Something, which dramatised domestic violence in a Pacific family, she went to visit the actors.
Samoan New Zealanders Landa, her husband Ace and their 19 year old son Lavahki participated in the Say Something video. The video was produced by Pacifica Proud, a Ministry of Social Development initiative to curb domestic abuse in Pacific communities. Once released on social media last year the video touched a nerve. It’s been viewed over 220,000 times without any promotion and Lavahki and Ace have been inundated with messages. Many of these were to thank them for creating space for Pacifica to speak out about their own experiences of abuse.…more
ZEKE LAU UNLEASHED - SURFING IN HAWAI'I & HOW I START MY DAY
ZEKE LAU UNLEASHED: a raw and authentic vlog series showcasing native Hawaiian Zeke Lau’s life as a professional surfer; giving you an inside look at surfing around the world, his training & recovery, and what he does to get his adrenaline pumping.
In Episode 1, Zeke opens up about how he likes to start his mornings and takes you along with him for an offseason day of surfing his home break in Honolulu, Hawaii, with some of his best friends.
Mark Hunt vs Paul Gallen - Sydney Super Fight highlights
The co-main event last night on the Sydney Super Fight card between Heavyweight fighters Mark Hunt and Paul Gallen did not disappoint.
While Gallen ultimately won via unanimous decision on points (we're guessing because he looked busier), there was no doubt the Super Samoan landed the more damaging shots. A right hand in the second round rocked Gallen (Mark should have finished him off here but let him recover) and left hooks in the fourth and fifth rounds were clearly the most impactful punches of the bout.
There were plenty of viewers who felt Mark had been robbed or that the fight should have at least been a draw.
Check out the highlights in the video above to judge for yourself.
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More on the fight here plus check out some great photos from the fight like this one below via MMA Junkie here.
Cover shot photo credit to MMA Junkie photographer Christian Cicchini
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Mark Hunt posted a classy message to his instagram after the fight
Government secures another two Covid-19 vaccines
The government’s secured two new Covid-19 vaccines, meaning there will be enough for every New Zealander to get the jab.
Border workers are expected to be immunised in the second quarter of next year, with the general population in the second half.
Getting one of the vaccines will be free for everybody, health minister Andrew Little confirmed. “Currently, given we have no community transmission, the first group who would be immunised are those most at risk of being exposed to Covid-19. This includes the border and MIQ workforce, the Covid-19 frontline healthcare workers, and their household contacts. This will further strengthen our border.”
The Ministry of Health has also purchased nine large minus-80 degree Celsius freezers that can store more than 1.5 million doses of the Pfizer-BioNTech vaccine. They are on track to arrive by the end of the year.
Foreign Affairs Minister Nanaia Mahuta announced that the government is preparing to support its Pacific partners to access Covid-19 vaccines.
Mahuta confirmed $75 million of Official Development Assistance had been earmarked to support Pacific and global vaccine access and roll-out.…more