| Congressman Faleomavaega announced today that the Department
of Justice’s Office of Justice Programs has awarded the U’una’i Legal Services
Corporation in American Samoa a $370,220.00 grant to provide direct legal
services to victims of domestic violence in American Samoa. The grant
is made under the DOJ’s Domestic Violence Victims’ Legal Assistance Program
which recognizes that domestic violence throws lives into chaos and that
long-term assistance is needed for women to secure lives that are free
of violence and its effects. The grant also represents the second
half of a three-year grant period that will end December 30, 2001.
“The intent of the program is to strengthen civil legal assistance
provided to battered women through innovative, collaborative projects that
include legal clinics, legal aid or legal services programs, shelters for
battered women, Bar associations and other entities,” Congressman Faleomavaega
said. “Under this grant, the services provided by the U’una’i Legal
Services are subsidized by the Federal government and I hope that our people
will take full advantage of them,” Faleomavaega continued.
Terms of the grant indicate that the U’una’i Legal Services Corporation
(ULSC) will use the funds to hire additional staff; provide information
to the public about the ULSC services through local media and community
service organizations; provide presentations to local service, educational,
village, church, and sports organizations; publish and distribute bi-lingual
brochures describing the ULSC and outlining the legal rights of victims;
and organizing formal seminars through the American Samoa Bar Association.
“I am very pleased with the success of the U’una’i Legal Services
Corporation in obtaining more federal funding so it could provide this
type of assistance to our people in American Samoa,” Congressman Faleomavaega
said. “Obviously, the ULSC has satisfied the mid-term review by the
DOJ as indicated by the release of this grant and I congratulate Ms. Virginia
Sudbury and Mr. Scott Mc Phee for doing a great job.” |
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