BY BARNABAS MANEBONA

AROUND a hundred trainees graduated yesterday under the Solomon Islands National University (SINU) Community Outreach Lifelong Learning Centre (COLLC) Short Courses.

COLLC’s Short Courses listed for February Professional Development Trainings 2018 took place last week beginning from Monday to February.

SINU’s Pro Vice Chancellor (Corporate) Donald Malasa during the presentation of certificates at the Kukum Campus Lecture Theatre thanked stakeholders for showing the interest to attend COLLC’s short courses as he reminded them their feedbacks will also contribute to the development of the program.

Attendees of the Short Courses receiving certificates said what SINU is offering is a very effective way to develop the country’s human resources in professional developments.

“Rather than attending classes for months and years to achieve certificates, attending such one day short courses are very helpful,” said trainees.

Amongst the trainees graduating was also two of Island Sun’s Reporters attending COLLC’s Building an Effective Work Team short course.

One of the Reporters Mrs Jennifer Kusapa expressing her appreciation for such opportunity thanked the Island Sun Administration for making it possible to attend one of COLLC’s short courses as it will help their team to achieve their goals in more professional standards.

“What I have learnt during our one day training has made me realise the stages most teams usually fail to monitor in maintaining so that they achieve their goal. So I thank both the Island Sun and SINU’s COLLC for the opportunity as what I have learnt will be a bonus for our work team,” said Kusapa.

The trainees graduating thanks COLLC’s Coordinator, Trainer, SINU’s Business Investment and Commercial Services (BICS) Department for such opportunity and are looking forward for more short courses to be offered by SINU in the near future.

Some of the short courses offered under COLLC’s Short Courses were: Managing your Time, Effective Business Communication, Managing Workplace Conflict, Project Management Training and Workplace Leadership.

BY LORETTA BRIGIDIA MANELE

ACCORDING to Pacific Financial Inclusion Programme (PFIP) 2016 report of Solomon Islands financial services demand side surveys, the ratio of women to men with bank accounts is 20.1 percent to 31.8.

Associate Professor Richard Eves from Australian National University’s department of Pacific Affairs expressed this during last week’s Research Launch at the Heritage Park Hotel.

In 2014, he carried out a case study in Makira and Malaita provinces and worked with women’s savings groups to understand whether economic advancement in Solomon Islands had positive or negative outcomes.

Moreover, speaking of financial inclusion Mr Eves said that while the 2016 PFIP report indicates a lower percentage of women with bank accounts compared to men, informal financial services said otherwise.

“Despite this, 85 percent of women reported saving, with a high proportion saying this was done at home or in informal financial services, such as savings clubs,” he said.

Eves furthers that savings groups are one modality for delivering women’s economic empowerment interventions.

“In Solomon Islands, savings groups have been extremely popular and durable, emerging as a low-cost vehicle for providing much needed financial services, as well as keeping capital within in the local community,” he said.

BY GEORGINA KEKEA

SOLOMON Islands Women in Business Association (SIWIBA) recently launched its strategic plan (2018 -2020) as well as a revolving fund for members who cannot access financial institutions for support.

Speaking during the official ceremony of its programme, SIWIBA CEO (Ag) Jennifer Pascal says the event is a milestone achievement for SIWIBA.

Echoing this sentiment, SIWIBA President Mrs Pamela Zoleveke says this is another boost for the women who continue to support their family through whatever means they can.

She says over the years, SIWIBA has continued to empower women in both formal and informal sectors. She says at first she was skeptical about women getting support from their menfolk but overtime it was proven that the men had continued to support their women in SIWIBA despite what other reports and survey might have said about men being less supportive of their women in economic activities.

Because of this, Zoleveke says she is also thankful to the men for the support they provide for their spouses. She says both women and men need to work together and this sort of partnership should be encouraged.

Also speaking during the launch was the Permanent Secretary of the Ministry of Women Youth Children and Family Affairs (MWYCFA), Dr Cedric Alependava who was impressed with the revolving fund.

“I came in last year to the Ministry and I was not able to support SIWIBA’s mini trade fair which some of the monies from the revolving fund came from. But I was able to support SIWIBA in the awards night held in early December 2017,” Mr Alependava says.

“For that the MWYCFA is proud to be a partner in SIWIBA’s endeavors to provide a revolving fund for its members, especially women in the informal sector.”

The awards night event is an ongoing support from the Solomon Islands government, which has a naming-rights partnership with SIWIBA.

Speaking on behalf of the women, Mrs Gale Au Ramosaea says the banks don’t recognise them.

“SIWIBA recognizes us to which we are forever grateful. The banks don’t recognize us only SIWIBA,” she says.

Speaking to Island Sun, Ramosaea says already she has secured four loans from SIWIBA for her shell money making business.

“I am so happy and proud that the revolving fund will be able to help women like me in the informal sector to get money to assist us in our business,” she said.

The revolving fund comes from monies from the women’s trade fair activities as well as monies from the SIWIBA awards night.

$100,000 is being used as the starting base for the revolving fund.

Present during the launch of SIWIBA’s activities were representatives and staff from the Australian High Commission Office in Honiara as well as the Permanent Secretary of Home Affairs, George Palua including the CEO of Solomon Islands Chamber of Commerce and Industry (SICCI) Dennis Meone.

Presented to the members and those present during the event was also a report on the awards night held last year. The report was compiled by Nina Tuhaika and endorsed by Mrs Julie Haro, Chairlady of 2017 SIWIBA Awards committee.