A nutritionist’s journey of lifelong learning and service in Samoa

It’s a rainy morning in Apia as Analosa Manuele Magele, Principal Nutrition Officer at Samoa’s Ministry of Health, prepares for her presentation. Today, she’s about to speak to women community members from Vaitele about the first 1,000 days — the critical period from conception to a child’s second birthday that lays the foundation for their health and wellbeing. It’s a topic Analosa specializes in and passionately advocates for as part of her lifelong commitment to nutrition and learning.

For Analosa, these regular outreach activities, part of the Ministry of Health’s broader community engagement across Samoa, are linked to her personal and professional journey in nutrition and health. This interest began in high school. She recalled, “I was interested in the field of nutrition back in high school when we took the food and nutrition subject. From there, I saw the importance of nutrition in relation to diseases.”

This early interest became a personal mission as Analosa witnessed the devastating impact of noncommunicable diseases (NCDs) in her family. She explained, “I had family members who had noncommunicable diseases, such as high blood pressure and diabetes, and some who had passed on from NCDs. That motivated me and inspired me to work in this field and become a nutritionist.”

Her pursuit of learning and professional growth

Analosa joined the Ministry of Health in 2010, focusing on supporting healthier schools. In 2022, she was appointed Principal Nutrition Officer. Alongside her professional growth, she pursued further education with support from WHO’s Pacific Open Learning Health Network (POLHN).

POLHN provided a flexible and accessible way for Analosa to advance her education while maintaining her work and staying close to her family.

“You’re able to still stay in country and study online and work at the same time and able to complete the course,” she shared. “At the same time, you have mentors, your teachers there, that help you not only academically but also professionally.”

Through POLHN, Analosa completed a postgraduate certificate in health research, and after finishing that, she went on to pursue another postgraduate diploma in nutrition. But midway through her studies, POLHN was paused due to funding constraints. This did not deter Analosa, however, as she was able to complete her nutrition postgrad through the WHO Fellowships Programme.

“I was very fortunate to WHO for the assistance and I was able to complete my postgrad diploma,” she said. “I think it's very important in terms of leadership and also building the capacity, having more technical expertise in my field of work.”

Learning alongside other Pacific colleagues was particularly meaningful, enriched by her four months of face-to-face learning in Fiji, which included courses, labs, and site visits.

“We were able to learn through the Pacific context, using our own local problems that we face daily,” she recalled. “We were able to share the knowledge and experience and help build our own programmes and interventions that targeted nutrition-related problems that we face in each Pacific island.”

^{Analosa Manuele Magele (right) graduates from Fiji National University with her postgraduate studies, supported by WHO. Photo supplied by Analosa Manuele Magele.}

With the re-establishment of POLHN announced in October 2025, through the partnership of the WHO Western Pacific Region and the WHO Academy, Analosa hopes others will take advantage of this renewed learning platform. At the same time, the WHO Fellowship Programme continues to support the Western Pacific Region’s health workforce by building technical capacity through both short-term and long-term programmes and courses.

Her work, challenges and motivation

Today, Analosa’s work spans policy, outreach, and advocacy. She collaborates closely with the Ministry’s health promotion team through the PEN Fa'aSamoa programme, delivering community education and awareness about healthy lifestyles, including the First 1,000 Days initiative.

“We train our women’s committee, our young mothers, on the importance of starting off with the first 1,000 days concept,” she explained. “We emphasize the importance for mothers to eat healthy for herself and the unborn baby, as well as breastfeeding when the baby is born.”

^{Analosa (right, standing) provides hands-on training to increase awareness about how to support pregnant and breastfeeding women in the community. Photo: WHO/Faizza Tanggol}

She and her team members also work with other partners, including the Ministry of Education, to develop food and nutrition policy and support the implementation of the healthy schools programme. Despite these efforts, challenges persist in Samoa.

“The biggest challenge that we're facing is the behaviour change of people,” she said. “Some families cannot afford a healthy diet, cannot afford vegetables, due to the cost of living. So these are all the factors that we see. It's a challenge.”

Still, Analosa finds fulfilment in her work, which motivates her to persevere and continue sharing her nutrition expertise in her home country. She explained, “The most rewarding part for me is being able to provide nutrition awareness for our community and hearing their feedback and their appreciation of the programmes that we come out and conduct.”

^{Analosa (centre) shares ways to eat healthy at home with community members. Photo supplied by Analosa Manuele Magele.}

Looking ahead, she plans to pursue a master’s degree to further enhance her knowledge and skills. Analosa's story is one of inspiration and lifelong learning, demonstrating how training and education programmes aimed at the Pacific health workforce, like POLHN and the WHO Fellowship Programme, can transform careers and make a difference in Pacific communities.