COVID-19 and Transnational Remittances in Samoa: Maintaining Family Ties in the Face of Crisis

Abstract

SIDS, including Samoa, are globally amongst the highest recipients of remittances as shares of Gross Domestic Product. Remittances, the goods and money sent by migrants to their home countries, result from socio-cultural practices contributing to maintaining connections with families in the islands. Remittances are critical to sustain livelihoods and even more important in times of disaster such as COVID-19. The pandemic simultaneously impacted both high and low-income countries, affecting considerably transnational remittance flows and leading the World Bank to predict a 20% remittance fall in 2020. While the COVID-19 pandemic strongly affected Samoans in the islands and overseas, remittances actually increased, and Samoans helped each other to deal with the disaster. Despite facing strong challenges, Samoans proved highly resourceful in the face of crisis.