BY BEN BILUA
Gizo
In the stillness of the forest, beneath the whispering leaves and the watchful gaze of ancient trees, children took their first breath, not in the sterile light of a hospital, but in the embrace of nature itself.
There were no doctors, no machines, no bright corridors. Only the courage of a mother, the prayers of a family, and the rhythm of the forest echoing the fragile heartbeat of a new life.
Their cries drifted through the trees, carried by the wind that spoke of both life and hardship.
It’s a reminder of the quiet struggles faced by those who live far from hospitals, where every birth is both a miracle and a risk.
This story is about women of Marava and Niubare communities, at Ranongga Island, Western Province where childbirth is not just a moment of joy but an act of endurance.
While other mothers enjoy the comfort of hospital beds and routine maternity checks, the women of Marava and Niubare walked for three to four hours beneath the tropical sun, their bellies heavy with life, their hearts heavy with hope.
Some of the women whisper their fears into the forest wind, knowing that help is far away and that every step they take could mean life or death.
For more than forty years, this has been their story.
“Bringing new life requires commitment and sacrifice,” she said softly. “We walk for hours to the clinic, even when we are seven or eight months pregnant. It’s painful, but we have no choice. Our sacrifice is for our own flesh and blood.”
Longden’s words echo the unspoken reality of many women who endure this hardship in silence.
“I sometimes regret being born a female,” she confessed, her voice trembling. Yet her resilience shone through her sorrow, a resilience shared by all the women of Marava, who continue to bring life into a world that seems to have forgotten them.
Longden said some of the mothers’ even deliver their children under the coconut trees, in the village and in canoes with the help of few mothers and relatives.
“After giving birth these mothers continued their journey to the clinic with torn womb and bleeding body. It’s life threatening but this is our life,” she said.
Another mother, Mabent Sibu adds that after child birth mothers continue to care for their children until they reach the age where they can go to the clinic themselves.
“So, after giving birth, we, mothers also took care of our children. When they are sick, we carry them on our back and walk to Pienuna clinic for medical and health checks.
“New born babies also require immunization – we carry our children to the clinic for the injections,” she said.
Similarly, those who are critically sick sometimes walked the road or travel by boat to Pienuna Clinic.
Some patients lost their lives while journeying to the clinic.
This is real for Sibu who lost her father earlier this year while trying to reach Pienuna Clinic.
“My father was a strong person but then he developed stroke like symptoms. We tried to get him to Pienuna Clinic but he was gone,” she said.
She said losing her father due to poor access to health care system makes her questioned the existence of government’s responsibility to care for its people.
There are unconfirmed reports that people both young and old lost their lives while trying to reach the clinic.
Island Sun visited Pienuna clinic and saw that the clinic is run-down. Few ceilings are falling and need repair.
Even the facility is poorly equipped.
A nurse who wants to remain anonymous told this paper that the clinic needs major upgrading as population continues to increase.
“This is a very old clinic,” the nurse said.
For community elder like Denty Aqolo, a solution to the ongoing struggle is to establish a clinic at Marava.
He suggests that Pienuna Clinic should be upgraded to Area Health Centre [AHC] and a Rural Health Centre [RHC] should be established at Marava.
“Catchment area of Pienuna Clinic covers many communities from eastern to southern part of Ranongga.
“To make life easier for our people, a clinic should be established at Marava to serve communities located on the southern region. Only emergency cases can be referred to Pienuna Area Health Centre or to Gizo Hospital,” he said.
Island Sun understands that, two months ago, the National Healthy Setting Conference was held at Gizo, Western province.
Theme of the conference was “Building Sustainable Healthy Settings in the Solomon Islands”.
Health professionals, government officials, and donor partners discussed strategies to address public health challenges and improving health outcomes.
Key discussions were focused on expanding the “Healthy Settings” initiative, with specific focus on health promotion in everyday environments like schools, villages, and workplaces.
The conference was part of the National Healthy Settings Policy (2021) which promotes the creation of healthy environments in villages, schools, workplaces, and markets.
It recognizes that health is shaped by daily living conditions and aims to involve communities in their own health development.
The National Healthy Settings Policy (2021) also played major role in the drafting of the 2022–2031 National Health Strategic Plan (NHSP) which sets the country’s health priorities and goals.
It aims to give all citizens equitable access to quality healthcare programs and focuses on population-level health issues by moving beyond clinical settings.
For the people of Marava and Niubare, these conferences, strategies and policies mean nothing as their suffering tells a deeper story, one of state neglect, of promises left unfulfilled, and of communities surviving on courage alone.
Each birth in the forest, in a canoe or in a village house is both a testament of love and a quiet cry for help, reminding the nation that even in its remotest corners, life is sacred and deserves care.
At Ranongga Island, beyond the breaking waves and under the canopy of the forest, life continues, fragile yet fierce. Children are born, mothers’ weep, and the wind carries their story beyond the skies.
*Reporting for this story was supported by Pacific Media Assistance Scheme (PACMAS)
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