The Birth of Little Vai Foundation
When we started Pepe Faitau Books, it was a dream rooted in our home, our babies, and our desire to hear the Samoan language spoken in everyday moments with little ones. Over the years, this dream has grown—through board books, cultural resources, and most importantly, through all of you. The community we’ve built together has been loving, supportive, and deeply inspiring.
As our vision has expanded, so has our clarity. We’ve come to recognize that while books remain the heart of Pepe Faitau, our growing library of low cost and free language resources, caregiver tools, and cultural materials has begun to deserve a home of its own.
That’s why we’ve created Little Vai Foundation—a new platform dedicated to providing free and low cost, accessible Samoan language resources for families with young children. It’s a space where we can grow programming, tools, and support services that extend beyond what we can do as a small book business.
We want to be clear:
We’re not starting a nonprofit just yet, though it is the ultimate goal. While Little Vai is mission-driven and community-centered, the political and economic climate in the U.S. right now makes it a difficult time to launch a new nonprofit—especially one focused on Indigenous language work.
Instead, we’re exploring fiscal sponsorship and/or looking for partnerships as a way to build a foundation of support and sustainability while we grow. Our hope is that in the future, Little Vai can become a full nonprofit organization. But for now, we’re taking steady steps.
Pepe Faitau Books will continue to publish and sell the books you know and love. But beginning this summer, all of our free language resources will move to Little Vai, including posters, labels, ASL tools, and caregiver printables. It’s still us—just a clearer and more intentional way to serve families in the earliest years of life.
Thank you for trusting us. Thank you for growing with us. We are so grateful to be in this work with you.
With love and vision,
Jimmi Sivia
Founder, Little Vai
Co-Creator, Pepe Faitau Books
