Small Malaita establishes small business association to end poverty

BY LYNTON AARON FILIA

ASIMAE Chairman Mr Samuel Houmai

A small business association looking at eliminating poverty has been established in Small Malaita.

The association is named ASIMAE—Are’are Small Malaita Indigenous Movement Active Entrepreneurs, a Small Business Development Association which officially incorporated and legally registered on May 8, 2017.

ASIMAE Small Business development Association is a newly born rural based initiative setup, with its head office at Afio substation in Small Malaita.

The idea of forming ASIMAE originated in 2008 with lengthy research and consultation with rural people and existing business owners, throughout whole of southern regions of Malaita province.

It was voluntarily led by two visionary leaders and founders, Mr Vincent Akohiria, prominent rural business man based at Afio Substation Small Malaita, and Mr Samuel Houmai – former Habitat for Humanity International programme Developer (PD) based with the grassroot people.

The association built its vision to salvage unsustainable and unproductive rural based business activities in accessing and facilitating series of business opportunities through public awareness, trainings, financial subsidies, marketing, rural infrastructure and providing business advice.

Above that, ASIMAE and its partners aim to reduce poverty through empowering rural entrepreneurs and accessing more opportunities for self-job creation.

The mission is to work in partnership with people from all works of life within South Malaita by giving opportunity to help people help themselves through job creation.

ASBDA’s ultimate goal is to eliminate poverty situation from face of its constituencies through actively promoting self-reliance.

Plan is to engage rural dweller through business training, self-employment opportunities, increase income goods and services, creation and facilitation of market linkage to improve lively hood of rural people.

Houmai said the association believes rural people can effect changes when given the opportunity to do so.

He said with total concern, commitment, dedication, and honesty, project development planning, implementations, monitoring and evaluation, with transparency and accountability would effect changes in the lives of the rural people.

And this could felt within them a true and tangible development changes occurred and transform their life, he adds.

Houmai said land is not a problem with land owners in South Malaita, when rural people.

He said only problem faced daily is key approach and actual implementation strategy and action taken to address obstacle, and to unlocked socio economic development for south Malaita.

“Out of many approaches one could think of, one of key approaches is to design a set up programme with its vision, mission and goals/objective and form as a rural organisation,” Houmai said.

Meanwhile the setup ASIMAE particularly focus on promoting small and medium enterprises, public awareness, trainings, workshops, seminars, financial subsidies, marketing, business advises, rural infrastructure.

The association is designed to engage land owners, individual entrepreneurs, families, village organisations in Small Malaita.

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