By Francis Sivita

OLA Fou students from Solomon Islands, Kiribati and Vanuatu welcomed the SI board members on Saturday.

After the long sessions from Thursday up to Saturday the students gathered together to rehearse and prepare a welcome ceremony for their board members.

The welcome programme started with a chorus sung by the students in Bislama pidgin and a traditional Maori call from one of their teachers. A short welcome speech was presented by one of the staff members.

One of the board members expressed her joy hearing the chorus sung in Bislama pidgin.

It shows how the students worked together despite their differences.

She on behalf of the board members welcomed the fellow students from Vanuatu and Kiribati.

After the welcome speeches, dinner was served and the board members mingled with the students enjoying their dinner and listened to speeches from their teachers and board members.

One of the students said that after the teachers assessed their last works they should have their graduation tomorrow.

By Francis Sivita

OLA Fou students of Solomon Islands welcomed their friends from Vanuatu and Kiribati on Thursday last week at the SWIM compound, east of Honiara.

After the traditional welcome they continued with their normal programme up to Saturday where the diploma students got into groups and did their last presentation.

According to one of the diploma students, the Ola Fou programme was first held here in Honiara with few participants from the local communities surrounding Honiara.

He said from the first students it was then localised to Western and Malaita province and that is when he and few other locals joined.

He added that graduating with an Ola Fou certificate allows one to work in any Pacific country.

Speaking to one of the diploma students from Santo Vanuatu he said the Ola Fou programme really gives positive impacts to their communities back home especially on the youths.

He also expressed how privileged he was to be here in the Solomons.

He said being here really helped in his studies, where he learnt that some of the traditional values here are similar while some are different to his.

With the differences, he says it helps him solve some issues he faces in his community.

The Ola Fou programme is from New Zealand and with the help of one of the United Church members who came to Solomon Islands six years ago.

Ola Fou is part of Praxis – an educational organisation operating in the Pacific Islands, New Zealand and Australia.

Ola Fou means ‘new life’, it is an educational initiative aimed at supporting Pacific based youth workers to develop their leadership skills and gain a qualification around working with young people in their community.

BY BARNABAS MANEBONA

THE Honiara City roads are the Ministry of Infrastructure Development’s (MID) area of concern to take care of, said Honiara City Council’s (HCC) Mayor Andrew Mua recently.

Mr Mua made this clarification in response to continuous complaints pointing fingers to HCC to improve the roads conditions in the capital City.

“People always complain about the roads conditions calling on HCC to improve them, but I want to make it clear for the general public that it is not our responsibility,” clarified the HCC Mayor.

He said HCC is responsible for licensee in giving authorisation to businesses wishing to operate in Honiara but the responsibility for maintenance along the roads is the National Government’s through MID to take care of.

BY LORETTA BRIGIDIA MANELE

FORM 6 students and staff of Mbokona Community High School took part in a Mandarin awareness activity conducted by SINU’s Mandarin teacher from Taiwan, Ms Kuei-Mi Li, on April 20.

They were treated to a lesson of Mandarin tones and basic phrases and a presentation on different traditions, cultures and how languages interact in different countries.

A session where students answered questions correctly and awarded with gifts was also part of the activity.

According to Ms Li, students really enjoyed the activity and students on the other hand expressed the same with one student suggesting that the Mandarin language be included in the Solomon Islands syllabus so that every child in school can have the opportunity to learn it.

Li who has a linguistic and teaching background explained that she wanted to share her passion for learning new languages and discovering different cultures with the students through the activity and noted that by learning a language students can go beyond their borders.

“Learning a new language means discovering a new culture, it will widen our horizons and enrich our life. I want to open these young Solomon Islanders’ eyes and minds and let them know that their world doesn’t necessarily have to be limited in where they live because they can have more options in life,” she said.

Li also spoke of how impressed she was seeing one of her students, Drumond Theomae teaching the students Mandarin tones and basic phrases since he only began learning the language two months ago.

She said that the awareness activity also made her realize that people do not come to her Mandarin classes not because they are not interested but because they don’t know what it is, how interesting it can be and that it is offered in the country.

Li furthered that she is considering carrying out the activity in other schools and provinces.

“I think it’s important for me to continue the touring, even to the provinces so that people will gain awareness of this opportunity to learn a new language and culture,” she said.

By Gary Hatigeva

HUNDREDS turned out yesterday to join the family of Christopher Utia Nemaia in a Requiem Mass held at the Holy Cross Cathedral in honour of his memory. Chris went missing while on duty on April 19.

The programme’s theme “We will not stop looking out for you” reflects the determination in every family member and friend serviceman and woman involved in the ongoing search operation.

The family was joined by his Solomon Islands Visitors Bureau (SIVB) colleagues including his CEO and his family, officials from the Ministry of Culture and Tourism including Minister Bartholomew Parapolo and his Permanent Secretary, Andrew Nihopara, and friends.

Christopher, known to many of his friends and family as Chris Uto, was the Marketing Officer responsible for the Asian region and the Fishing Niche Market in Solomon Islands in the SIVB until the time of his disappearance in April 19, 2018.

According to his family and friends, Chris was a very faithful gentleman, with a huge dream and motivated by a very captivated vision to make the Asian region the main market for his country Solomon Islands, which they say he loves so dear.

His determination and zeal to present first-hand information about Solomon Islands as a genuine nirvana drove him until he went missing.

The congregation was told that he was not to go on the trip that ended in disaster, but because he wanted to have a feel of the environment, which was to be part of his new tourism products to market, he asked to go.

Christopher’s fervent duty and tenacity to see Solomon Islands emerge to be well developed in the Tourism arena would him say, “don’t forget the call to action”.

According to both his family and colleagues, Chris had devoted his life for the country’s tourism industry with his patience to invest long hours to develop products alongside tourism operators and the mass is a way of acknowledging his inspiration.

Following the tragic incident that happened on Thursday over a week ago, Christopher went missing and joint searches conducted were unsuccessful in locating him or any evidence of his remains (body).

Youth@Work (Y@W) hosted an Employer’s Event on Thursday this week at the Skyboard Conference Room, Honiara Hotel.

This event is held twice every year with the aim to inform and involve both the public and private sectors to holistically address growing unemployment among youth in Honiara.

Glennis Kuper Masaea from Y@W Internship stressed this event provides a platform for employers to know more about how they can add value and impact youth in Honiara through the Y@W internship Programme.

“Youth unemployment is an issue in every country in the region and we all can address it from whereever we stand whether it be the private or public sectors,” Mrs Masaea said.

This event will also feature short testimonials from successful employer and intern followed by our famous employer’s frequently-asked-questions session.

To top it all off, the Employer’s Event will end with a social touch providing opportunity for networking over fingerfood and tea.

–YOUTH@WORK PRESS