CIP’s Siota PSS students and Staff carrying out school fundraising recently at Tulaghi, purposely for the school’s
rehabilitation program to re-improve the school’s infrastructures. PHOTO BY MANEBONA BARNABAS
BY BARNABAS MANEBONA
CIP’s Siota PSS students and Staff carrying out school fundraising recently at Tulaghi, purposely for the school’s rehabilitation program to re-improve the school’s infrastructures. PHOTO BY MANEBONA BARNABAS
CENTRAL Province Siota Provincial Secondary School (PSS) will continue their school rehabilitation program setting fundraising to be held this month in Honiara.
One of their fundraising towards the program to improve the school’s infrastructures was held two weeks ago over the weekend at Tulaghi.
According to Mr David Rubaha who is the Team Leader and one of the Form Six (6) Teacher’s of the school, the students and Staff are expected to arrive in Honiara between the 19th -22nd.
He highlighted that the fundraising will include wheelbarrow drive, selling of foods, entertainments and as well as other performances in Parishes.
“Updates will be posted very soon for the programme, do come and help our school,” said Mr Rubaha for all ex-Siota students, supporters and families towards their goal.
Siota PSS Principal Fr Patterson Tako speaking to Island Sun yesterday also adds in making a strong appeal to the school’s family, to support the school towards driving for its rehabilitation program.
“We need strong support back to further improve our Provincial Premier School. I strongly appeal especially for ex-Siota Students support too,” expressed Fr Tako.
He said the school can be contacted through his mobile phone (8562711) for further inquiry to the school’s programs.
Recently during their fundraising held at Tulaghi raising more than SBD$14,000.00, the School Chaplain for Siota, Fr Tony Ubara, explained that while waiting for the Education Authority of CIP to help the school’s maintenance and other much needed areas to be addressed, they are fitting into their program’s ways to address their school situation as soon as possible.
“There is the need to quickly improve classroom buildings, dormitories, Staff houses and other buildings by repainting them and doing small repairements needed to be done to help us be in a conducing learning environment. Not only the buildings but focusing on improving other areas as well,” said the School Chaplain.
Facing a downfall over the past two years in its academic performance because of poor Administration leadership, observation has proven that Siota PSS is recovering and improving again under the leadership of Fr Patterson Tako, who was brought back in the province by authority to lead the school this year.
THIRTEEN community youth groups in Honiara held an inter-youth sport fun day coinciding with the Queen’s Birthday last week.
The Day was organised by five community youth leaders who completed the facilitators training held at the Ginger Beach Retreat recently.
With the theme, “Knowing Yourself”, it convened officers of the HCC Youth and Sports Division, Honiara Youth Council, MWYCFA and New Zealand through Solomon Islands Policing Support Programme.
It was hosted with an objective to put into practice their gained knowledge and skills acquired from the training particularly hosting a youth event.
Youth leaders also aim to unite and interact young people from different communities through a variety of outdoor sport activities and teach youths to respect and take ownership of Honiara.
Speaking for the five youth leaders, Mr Duddley Tauwauri from the Bethlehem Chapel Youth Group said young people really had fun and met and interacted with youths from other places.
Tauwauri on behalf of the youth groups thanked the HCC-Youth, Sports and Women Division, HYC, MWYCFA and New Zealand through Solomon Islands Policing Support Programme for its continuous support.
HCC’s Sports Development Officer, Mr Nelson Kabitana said such activities will support to empower young people in sports and youth development in Honiara.
He said involving youths through sport in a fun way will motivate young people to stay away from social issues and support sports development in Honiara.
With the event, Kabitana said he was excited and pledged support in any future sport activities.
HCC-YSWD, HYC and Community Youth Groups plan to make such event annually for the Queen’s Birthday.
Sports played included futsal, volley ball, table tennis and tug-of-war for both boys and girls.
QUICK thinking by a private security guard may have saved police hours of investigations following a daring daylight robbery in the cark park of the Hyundai Mall on the weekend.
Police appear to have recovered money and other personal items taken from a Rav4-look-alike Suzuki vehicle whose side windscreens were smashed, enabling entry into the vehicle.
A bag, said to have contained a large amount of cash as well as a mobile phone were allegedly removed from the vehicle. Police later recovered the items.
Martin Boliko, the private security officer who foiled the alleged robbery involving four youths – two girls and two boys – later told Island Sun it was the only thing he could think of – shutting the boom gates so that no one could escape.
“As soon as I found out what was happening I ran to the boom gate and let it down,” Mr Boliko of U’ra Village in Central Kwara’ae on Malaita said on Saturday morning.
That day’s routine started in the usual way.
But by around 09.30 that morning, the scene and atmosphere around the seaside building had changed as four youths – two girls and two boys – smashed their way into one of the vehicles in the car park in a daring daylight robbery attempt.
Boliko could hear commotions coming from the direction of the car park.
He left his other colleagues in the building and raced towards the car park. There, he found two of his colleagues engaged a youth who he said was trying to get away in an alleged stolen white Caldina, a station wagon.
The driver of the vehicle who was some distance away from the vehicle was shouting that someone was driving his vehicle away without his permission.
“By then two of my colleagues were already talking to the young man who was trying to drive away. When I realised what was happening, I raced to the boom gate and closed it so that no vehicle could get out,” Mr Boliko said.
It worked.
Police later arrived at the scene and apprehended four youths – the two girls hunched in the back of the Caldina and two young boys, one of whom was trying to carjack the car.
As the quads were driven away in a police van on-lookers booed the alleged offenders.
It is not clear whether any charges have been laid.
Moses Toata describes attending the course as vital for the road ahead in
terms of football coaching development in Solomon Islands.
BY ROMULUS HUTA
Moses Toata describes attending the course as vital for the road ahead in terms of football coaching development in Solomon Islands.
ONE of the country’s young soccer coaches, Moses Toata is currently attending a five days FIFA/OFC Instructors Course at the Oceania Football Confederation Academy in Auckland, New Zealand.
The course brings together 19 coaches representing 10 OFC member associations across the Pacific including Toata who are being given a unique opportunity to enhance their knowledge with sessions to be delivered by some of the most esteemed FIFA coaching instructors.
A team of FIFA officials who are conducting the workshop includes Branimir Ujevic, FIFA’s Head of Coaching and Player Development; FIFA/CONCACAF Coaching Instructor Etienne Siliee and FIFA/AFC Coaching Instructor Mohamed Basir.
OFC Head of Education Giovani Fernandes told OFC Media the main purpose of the course is to empower the coaching educators to deliver their own programmes within their own context by adapting it to their own realities inside their MA’s.
“Our approach is to have active participation of the candidates in the course and a lot of reality based experience so they will actually have to do the things that they do in their member associations and in that way along with the FIFA experts we can share and support each other to improve,” he said.
Toata, a former natural left footed national midfielder, is the current head coach of club champions Solomon Warriors FC.
Being one of Solomon Islands’ most decorated coaches, Toata had won several domestic and international titles with Solomon Warriors in the Telekom S-League and the Melanesian Super Cup in Vanuatu, respectively.
His attendance at the course this week holds a lot of importance toward football coaching development in Solomon Islands.
Upon the conclusion of the workshop, Toata will come out as an accredited coaching instructor who will then assist the Solomon Islands Football Federation (SIFF) technical department to deliver coaching programmes to other coaches in the country.
Toata describes attending the course as vital for the road ahead.
“This is a very important part of my coaching career and for the country’s football coaching development pathway.
“At the moment we don’t have enough coaches coaching at the C and the B License.
“By attending this course, I may be able to deliver coaching courses in the C Level and if I get my A License hopefully by the end of this year, may be able to help the technical department deliver the B License to our local coaches,” said Toata.
Solomon Islands Football Federation (SIFF) President William Lai and Vice President Eddie Omokirio
THREE officials will represent Solomon Islands Football Federation (SIFF) at the FIFA Congress and Oceania Football Confederation (OFC) Congress taking place together in Russia this month.
The two congresses are happening days apart from each other but will coincide with the staging of the FIFA World Cup that is due to kick off in Moscow on June 15 (June 16 Solomon Islands Time).
The three-man delegation will be led by SIFF President William Lai.
The other two are SIFF Vice- President Eddie Omokirio and Honiara Football Association (HFA) President Baddley Alaha.
The trio will depart Honiara on Saturday. The OFC Congress will be held on Monday next week while the FIFA Congress will take place two days later.
One of the main highlights in the OFC Congress will be the deciding of an acting President to lead Oceania until January 2019.
Seven candidates have put themselves forward for the position of acting OFC President, and thus FIFA vice-president. They are Mr Deryck Shaw (New Zealand), Mr Alexander Godinet (American Samoa), Mr Laupama Solomona (Samoa), Mr Henri Thierry Ariiotima (Tahiti), Mr Rajesh Patel (Fiji), Mr Lambert Maltock (Vanuatu) and Mr Steeve Laigle (New Caledonia).
The process that will be taken to decide on the acting President will be monitored by FIFA in accordance with the FIFA Statutes and the FIFA Governance Regulations.
The OFC’s presidential position was left vacant after PNG’s David Chung resigned in April.
Chung stepped down from the post citing personal reasons.
However, it was revealed later that he quitted after an audit into a multi-million dollar Auckland football development revealed potential wrongdoings.
Meanwhile, the SIFF President has held a press conference this morning at SIFF Academy where he gives more detail on other matters pertaining to his delegation’s trip to Russia.
Inside of Tulaghi Clinic’s current ablution block having been said to be used for nearly two years now without addressing
its unhygienic issue
BY BARNABAS MANEBONA
IT has been almost two years now and Tulaghi clinics ablution block used is only a local kitchen leaf hut type.
This has raised grave concern from the clinic patients, members of the public and including insiders of the clinic as well as the mentioned ablution block being the only one there is currently used together by the Labour Division, Postnatal Patients, children and parents.
What is confusing according to report is no one seems to know of what are any arrangements to address this concern as this norm issue has been for some time now raising question against those having the power to address it.
The former permanent ablution block being used by both males and females at the clinic had been destroyed purposely to build a new extension building for the clinic which is reported to have only turned out being a failed plan causing the ablution block situation.
It has been almost two years now and Tulaghi Clinics ablution block used is only a local kitchen leaf hut type raising concern over health issues. PHOTOS BY MANEBONA BARNABAS
With the delay of projects and its funds plus with the understanding of budget cuts to all ministries by the National Government this year including other areas lacking financial support is now only forcing a planned committee to be formed in Tulaghi Clinic to address the issue. Or else nothing will be done in the next coming years.
Now pulled into the spotlight for assistance in ways of raising funds for a new temporary or permanent ablution block is the famous Ngella Forum (NGF) Team visiting the clinic to discuss over the matter during the past weekend.
From discussions made, NGF is only waiting for Tulaghi Clinic’s member’s response in their plans to work together before the aim will be carried out in raising fundraisings and working on other areas to raise funds for the plan.
What is important first is for the clinic members to create a social network committee to work with NGF.
“We want to put this out so that the authority above would also now of the issue’s here as well,” said sources.
To add, there is no proper laundry as well where questions fall back to the clinics management.
“It is unhygienic as the high risk of spreading disease is possible. The ablution block needs improvement and should be infection free,” said concern being raised.
Inside of Tulaghi Clinic’s current ablution block having been said to be used for nearly two years now without addressing its unhygienic issue
From discussion sighted over the issue on social media’s Tulaghi Hospital Discussion Page, more concern has been raised by first hand users describing the unhygienic it produces.
“Postnatal mothers use the ablution block to wash after delivery and as well as for their privacy purposes so it is one of the urgent needs to have a new showering place,” said one concerned.
Another concerned mother expressed that women deserve better as having no privacy as well falls way below the acceptable WHO standards.
“The hospital Management needs to do something about this,” raised the concerned mother.
According to insiders of the clinic, they revealed that many of the clinics issues have not been properly raised to the Ministry of Health.
“If these issues have been raised to the Ministry, we believe that something would be done. There might be some assessment as such,” said sources.
“These issues have been bypassed all these time.”
It is said also that it should be the Planning Office of the ministry of Health who should be responsible to address such issues in which call attempts to their Office were not successful yesterday.
Tulaghi Clinic now needs grave assistance calling for help to its issues purposely for a safe guidance to people’s health.
Members of the Gizo Dive Shop and volunteering team loading the rubbish straight to the pickup truck.
BY ALFRED PAGEPITU
GIZO
Members of the Gizo Dive Shop and volunteering team loading the rubbish straight to the pickup truck.
THE people of Gizo, in the Western province celebrated the ‘World Environment, World Ocean and Coral Triangle Day’ with this year’s slogan, ‘Beat plastic pollution’ on Tuesday.
Hundreds participated in the celebration and joined the Western Province Network for Sustainable Environment (WPNSE) and various environment and tourism stakeholders and the provincial government division officers in celebrating the day.
Provincial Secretary Jeffrey Wickham officially opened the celebration on Tuesday in front of the Gizo Hotel.
The celebration started with a massive cleanup campaign in Gizo island and surrounding islets.
Gizo residents, business houses, shops workers and volunteers participated in the cleanup, while a good number of volunteers, especially youths going to surrounding islands at Logha, Nusatupe, Olosana, Kennedy, Naru, Olasana.
Among the cleanup activities was the scouring nearby reefs for crown of thorns starfish and removing them.
Pile of cans, bottles and plastic collected from Nusatupe
Secretary of WPNSE Julie Kalamana thanked the general public and young youths who participated in the cleanup campaign.
“I would like to thank the general public for the good work done at the general clean up day surrounding Islands and along Gizo Township.
“We thanked local business operators especially Mobile for sponsoring one drum fuel, Zilava for providing pickup truck to collect rubbishes, cans and plastics and TTC group of companies to provide their pickup trucks and others who support the cleanup campaign.”
BEING the only all-female group among the recipients, the Girls For Change are striving to do what they do best – to support each other.
Girls For Change president Karrie Jionisi sees the signing agreement as a milestone achievement for her group.
Girls For Change is a community of interest group or a network of young women that works to improve the lives of single mothers in Honiara. They operate more on ad hoc basis with a fixed meeting location.
Karrie says their project will focus on capacity building trainings for out of school and single mothers to have the right skills and learn to have the self-confidence to participate in socio-economic activities.
“This signing today was a very big achievement for us as a girls group. We see this as a milestone that will help us step forward and use this opportunity to help other girls in our community. While we will make at least small changes with this grant, we hope to make a bigger impact to the lives of our girls.”
Keep Clean Commission
Evolved out from a thriving local boy band, N2Y Active Citizens is a community-based youth group at Naha 2 representing the young population of over 40 homes.
N2Y aims to redevelop their community’s landscape with the combination of road work, gardening and recycling means.
“On behalf of the Naha 2 Youth group, I’d like to thank Oxfam and its partners for giving us this opportunity to improve our community through our Keep Clean Commission Project that aims to give a landscape development to our community as well as establish a workforce opportunity for our unemployed youths,” says Sam Ziokera, vice president of N2Y.
“Our youth group joined the Statim Faia program earlier this year and we went through many workshops and trainings to prepare us to effectively execute our project. I am confident that we will achieve what we planned.”
Oxfam Country Director, Dolores Devesi signs the grant agreements with HCC and HYC. Photos by OXFAM Media
Oxfam, HCC and HYC rolls out second phase of youth grant scheme ‘Statim Faia’
“ONE, two and three say Statim Faia!” Sixteen young leaders representing youth groups across Honiara cheered before the camera as the Statim Faia project successfully rolled out its second phase of providing grants for youth initiatives.
Waving their signed agreement papers in the air, the photo captured it all. Smiles of relief, satisfaction and the energy of determination.
Earlier that afternoon representatives from 16 youth groups signed the grant agreements with Oxfam in Solomon Islands (OISI) Country Director Dolores Devesi, Honiara City Council (HCC) Head of Youth Sports and Women Division Roland GK Pauku and President of the Honiara Youth Council (HYC) Harry James.
Karrie Jionisi, president of Girls For Change is a community of interest group or a network of young women that works to improve the lives of single mothers in Honiara.Ali Barnabas aims to boost the Solomon Islands Deaf Association by making video productions in the hope to attract more intepreters.A participant with his certificate.
The grant program is funded by Comic Relief fund and Royal Commonwealth Society, under the Queen‘s Young Leaders Programme in honor of Her Majesty The Queen’s 60 years of service to the Commonwealth.
A total sum of SBD$349,397 was signed by the participating youth groups to carry out their proposed projects over the next six months.
These vary from business models to plastic recycling ideas, landscaping and agriculture, empowerment programs and many more creative initiatives.
“Personally I am always excited to support youth groups. We see you as leaders – not for the future – but as leaders of today,” Ms Devesi told the youth representatives at the signing event.
“Our generation today looks upon young people and leaders like yourselves to bring up our society. We’ve seen for ourselves the many issues that our country is facing, particularly issues affecting our young population.”
She said the Statim Faia project is purposely aimed to give youth groups the chance to put their ideas into practise, however with the challenge for young people to learn about sustainability.
Oxfam Country Director, Dolores Devesi signs the grant agreements with HCC and HYC. Photos by OXFAM Media
“It may not be able to cover all the costs that were proposed but it gives you the capability to start something which can continue to be sustainable even when your grants run out.”
The Country Director congratulated the participants in reaching the funding stage of the project and wished them well in their implementations.
Roland GK Pauku, head of HCC’s Youth Sports and Women Division says HCC is thankful for the existing partnership with Oxfam and will commit to continuously work closely together.
“For us at the Honiara City Council, we are really thankful for what Oxfam is doing,” he says. “As much as possible we will commit to work more closely with the teams involved [Honiara Youth Council and Oxfam’s Youth Governance project] so that we will continue to implement this project.
Roland GK Pauku, head of HCC’s Youth Sports and Women Division says the City Council will commit to continuously work closely together with its partners.
“I’ve seen the values and commitment of the Oxfam team in implementing this program and I highly applaud them. We must accomplish things,” Pauku urged.
HYC president Harry James in a brief comment encouraged the youths to make use of the opportunity and deliver with uttermost dedication to support youths in the country.
The Statim Faia project was launched in 2015 with the aim to support young women and young men in the Solomon Islands to participate and have their voices heard on issues they care about.
OISI’s Youth and Governance Coordinator Neil Nuia, who takes lead in the Statim Faia project, says the project attracted more participating youth groups than the first year.
Oxfam Youth and Governance Coordinator, Neil Nuia drives the Statim Faia project in partnership with HCC and HYC..
“Compared to seven successful grants in 2017, this year we were very delighted to have 16 youth groups in Honiara who successfully completed the Statim Faia small grants process,” he says.
“I must congratulate these young active citizens for bringing their creative yet powerful ideas forward and putting into proposal their proactive ways of raising youth voice. Now it is time to make positive change and have their impact trickle down to other youths in other provinces.”
We take a look at three of the successful recipients:
Learning sign language in DVD
Ali Barnabas is president of the Solomon Islands Deaf Association (SIDA), an association formed in 2014 to engage and support people with hearing disability.
Though speech impaired, Ali has championed being a vocal voice behind SIDA in raising the concerns of the disabled population – loud enough to get the attention of Prime Minister Rick Hou who agreed to meet with SIDA earlier in January.
A youth participant signs on behalf of his group at the Oxfam Honiara office.
Ali signed the Statim Faia grant agreement on behalf of SIDA with an aim to increase the knowledge of sign language through video productions.
Speaking through an interpreter Ali said: “In our project, we propose to promote sign language through DVDs that can help others to learn with an easier medium. We hope our proposed videos will reach as many people as possible. We also plan to channel our productions to schools and disability centres whom are already aware of our project and are eager to see the output.”
SIDA had undertaken similar projects in the past, but by print materials and books.
Ali said SIDA is in need for more interpreters and he hopes that by using DVDs more people can be reached.
MY government is totally committed to ensuring that every child in my country has access to basic water, toilet and hygiene facilities in schools. We realise that WASH facilities in schools are critical not only to achieve health and educational results of children.
The above statement was made by acting Prime Minister and Deputy Prime Minister, Hon Manasseh Sogavare during the launch of National Standards on WASH (Water Supply, Sanitation and Hygiene) in schools on June 5 at Mendana Hotel.
Speaking on the lack of appropriate and inadequate WASH facilities in schools, he said this may be the reason for the increase of dropout rates in primary schools and in the junior secondary level.
“Lack of appropriate and adequate WASH facilities in schools may also partly explain the situation of drop-out rates at primary schools [and junior secondary level], which has increased in the period 2007-2009 from 8 percent to 11 percent, and -1 to 4 percent respectively. In particular, girls show higher drop-out rates than boys at 13 percent and 8 percent respectively,” said Sogavare.
He stated that this brings us to the question of how and when we can achieve Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) in the country for basic WASH services.
Henceforth, Hon Sogavare emphasised that as influencers of opinions and practices in their families and as future adults who need to learn the correct life skills for a generational change, they understand the crucial role of children.
Furthermore, he thanked the government of New Zealand and UNICEF for their support in the WASH project in 42 schools in Guadalcanal province.
“We look forward to the results of this project, so that the learnings can be taken to scale in the entire country. Providing WASH services in all schools of the country is achievable and this project can show us the way”
“I am happy to note that two main ministries – Ministry of Health and The Ministry of Education dealing with water and sanitation have converged here to align their priorities on WASH in schools,” said Sogavare.
He noted that he looks forward to more collaboration between the government, UNICEF, donors, bilateral organisations, NGOs, academia and other institutions to collaborate and address WASH on schools on the priority to achieve the SDGs on water and sanitation.
