Caritas plans another stage for START

BY SAMIE WAIKORI

THE Caritas Aotearoa NZ that currently working with the SIAVRTC is planning another stage of the START programme for Rural Training centres in the country.

The programme “Strengthening Technical and Agricultural Rural Training” (START) has been effective over the last three years with support from Caritas and the New Zealand Government on the improvement of RTCs in the country.

Senior Programme Coordinator of Caritas, Ms Marion Ferguson told Island Sun yesterday that more people are showing interest in the programme as it is ending.

“We finish in August 2019 and between now and then we have to prepare data/information because we really want to plan another stage.

“And we think this programme is really successful even though we are halfway. Lot of people has been telling us we need to do this more.

“But would probably do it a little bit different and probably use more Solomon Islands trainers and make more to use local expertise,” she said.

However, Ferguson said the problem is getting enough money from the people in NZ to put alongside NZ government’s money.

She said the NZ government is very positive in its assistance especially to the programme and the result of the programme is what they really want to see.

“But the result is really good as we see huge change and amazing hard work from the people as we work on the programme,” Ferguson said

“So NZ government is waiting to get the final report of the programme and after that we thing of pursuing them for more fund for another stage of the programme.

“Because for this programme NZ government supported 80 percent and the catholic communities in NZ supported 20 percent of the fund.”

The programme is a joint cooperation between Caritas Aotearoa NZ and Solomon Islands Association of Vocational Rural Training Centre (SIAVRTC) that provided trainings, infrastructure and other areas toward improvement of RTCs in the county.

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