Our news has been rather beset with overtones of politics in the past week so here is a collection of news events with a more positive touch to end off the working week.
New 110 positions for nurses with the Ministry of Health
The Ministry of Health and Medical Services has received new appointments from the Ministry of Public Service for 110 new nurses’ positions.
The National Director of Nursing from the Ministry of Health and Medical Services Michael Lauri confirmed this to the Public Accounts Committee (PAC) during its hearing on Wednesday.
“The Ministry of Public Service has supported us with new appointments for 110 positions and this is for permanent recruitment.
“These nurses are those that are temporarily recruited by the Ministry before community transmission was recorded in Honiara,”Mr. Larui said.
He said this will help the ministry health in terms of further strengthening their normal services.
Mr.Lauri said the ministry’s response effort will continue up and running by nurses who were recruited on a casual basis.
He added that 150 applications were sent but only 110 positions were given.
Mr.Larui said there are some submissions that are incomplete due to some of the nurses being stranded in their home provinces because of community transmission and so they were unable to submit their applications.
“We already have discussions with the Ministry of Public Services that by June this year another batch of submissions will go in including doctors to increase the number of staff for the purpose of our response effort,” he said.
Source Solomon Star news.
Wagga Community Attributes COVID-19 Recovery to Herbal Treatments
Many individuals on Wagina say their recovery from COVID-19 was because of herbal treatment.
Without proper healthcare facilities and rundown clinics, people are left to fend for themselves the best way they can.
Wagina is almost 300km away from Honiara. The island does not have any internet services. The network service there is still on 2G but is sometimes unreliable.
Wagina became one of the first rural communities in Choiseul province to record positive cases of Covid-19 when the community transmission was detected in Solomon Islands.
"I was so scared when I heard that Wagina now has Covid-19. When I heard who the people were, I grew more scared because I was in contact with them recently and now feared for my own life" says Andrew.
59 year old Andrew lives on the island of Peniamina. Peniamina is about a 15-minute boat ride from Wagina. It is well-known in the area for seaweed farming.
Andrew said he contracted the virus at the peak of its transmission in Wagina.
"I was swabbed and tested positive for the virus. After being swabbed they told me to remain in my house and not to mix with people in the community. I was expecting more but they did not give me any medicine.
"After hearing on the radio the number of people that continued to die from Covid 19, I was so scared. I thought that I would not survive this sickness because I have underlying conditions. My wife gave me all sorts of plant juice for me to drink. Even for the steam, she threw in all sorts of leaves for me to breathe with. It was most traumatizing for me", Andrew said.
Andrew said his experience in contracting COVID-19 was the worst experience ever.
"I think because of the news and death messages I heard on the radio daily, I also got affected by it. With my condition and how they were saying that vulnerable people are those with underlying conditions, I almost lost it", he said.
But luckily enough for him, he was fully vaccinated. He said he did not want to take any chances since Covid-19 is the cause of death for a lot of people globally.
Thomas, a seaweed farmer on another island in the Wagina area, also shared the same sentiments.
He said he and his family moved to the island when the virus was detected in their community but they might not have escaped the virus. He said they later developed Covid like symptoms.
“We experienced symptoms like loss of smell, taste, and headache. We also took herbal treatment and it worked for us. Now we are fine", Thomas said.
On another note, Ana, another resident in Wagina says Covid also brought with it a bright side.
"Now we are planting cassava, potato, and cabbages. We have to be prepared in case we face food shortages in the future. We do not want to relive what has happened during the lockdown when we have to dig 'wild swamp taro' (kakake) to sustain us when we experience food shortages".
She said they have come to realize that they cannot rely on goods bought from the shops for their daily upkeep. She said from then on, she and her husband decided to concentrate on gardening, while their children work on their seaweed farm.
"The herbal treatment really worked for us. Now people are going about their business as usual. Work has to go on and people need to make a living and find food for their families', Ana said.
The herbal treatment the islanders used is what is known as beach cabbage or scaevola taccada. The plant is often used as medicine by the peoples of the Pacific. In Indonesia, the roots of the plant are used as an antidote to eating poisonous crabs and fish.
While there is less research done on the plant, islanders usually use the plant leaves to treat indigestion, treat coughs, pneumonia and tuberculosis. The plant has many other uses as well.
Wagina Area Health Centre has been run down for some time already. It only provides basic health care services and does not have the capacity to deal with an influx of Covid-19 patients. It only has one clinical nurse and a health promotion officer, supporting the nurse in her work there. The nurse says the number of people presenting themselves with Covid-19 like symptoms has drastically reduced.
“The most common illness here is diarrhea. The only time people presented themselves with Covid-19 like symptoms were when we recorded our first cases of Covid-19. Now things are back to normal”.
She says the clinic has 100 Rapid Antigen Test (RAT) kits and has a full stock supply of medicines.
“The population here is well over 2000 and the 100 RAT test kits are not enough. I am still to work out how I will utilise the RAT kits”, she said.
While people are moving freely in the community without masks, churches on the other hand are still imposing the health measures required of them.
Congregants are expected to wear masks and maintain seating distance during church service.
In Wagina, almost every family on the island is involved in seaweed farming. Many have made homes for themselves on surrounding islands where their seaweed.
Source – Solomon Times Online.
Malaita Taro farmers to benefit from packhouse
THE Ministry of Foreign Affairs and External Trade through the Enhanced Integrated Framework project have signed an agreement with a locally owned company to build a taro packhouse at Adeliua, Malaita Province.
Permanent Secretary Collin Beck said his Ministry has support from the World Trade Organization (WTO) and the EIF project to enhance our trade capacity, so this project of constructing a taro packhouse is one of those projects.
He said construction of the new Taro Packhouse is the second infrastructure under this project.
He said the completion of the packhouse will not only be limited to Taro but include other products as well.
“This packed house will be actually for all agricultural products, and we have a timeline that the pack house will be completed in the next couple of months and we are looking
forward to working closely with the contractor.
“It is a pleasure that we have our local company construct this packhouse,” Mr. Beck said.
He said this is despite the country’s economy going through a difficult time, not only due to covid but with the November unrest pushing our revenue to a tight space.
“Therefore, the government policy is trying to keep investing more in economic activity and the productive sector and this is one of them.
“This is more-less rules out that direction that the government policy in supporting the rural area and increase more farmers to plant commercially.
Source – Island Sun newspaper.
CDF stimulates the rural economy, as Nigella constituents testify
Principal Rural Development Officer (Research & Development) Brian Douglas leads the Focus Group Discussion with community leaders during the Monitoring and Evaluation visit to the Nigella constituency last year.
Nigella Constituency Office (NCO) remains committed to boosting rural economic activities in its constituency; by supporting members to engage in small business and income-generating activities targeted at alleviating poverty and improving their livelihoods.
And beneficiaries of the CDF projects in Nigella Constituency have applauded the benefits of CDF and how it positively contributes to their livelihood enhancement.
These economic activities were part of the CDF program and delivered to recipients by the constituency’s office as aligned with the MRD development priorities and the NCO yearly development plan.
Principal Rural Development Officer, Gabriel Manetiva who led a Monitoring and Evaluation (M&E) team to the constituency in November 2021 said,” apart from the housing scheme, the constituency also supported other sectors, and small business and income-generating activities is one of the areas of support.”
Mr. Manetiva said recipients have testified how the CDF program positively changed their lives.
The support towards this sector (Income generating activities) is one of NCO strive and determination to stimulate economic activities in the rural areas to guarantee people improve their livelihoods.
Homestay Project downstairs in Tulagi town – Ward 4 supported by CDF.
“We have managed to witness some of these projects and the constituents were happy to be part of the CDF programs. Others testified that the CDF programmes changes the way they live compared to what they were experiencing in previous years,” Mr. Manetiva said.
Peter Manekaoni and their family own a Homestay business in Tulagi and thanked NCO for its continuous support towards small businesses and incoming generating activities in the constituency.
“NCO has supported my business with housing materials and that has enabled us to expand and made improvements to our homestay apartment,” Mr.Manekaoni excitedly told the M&E team in an interview.
The constituency also funded constituents with Transportation and Fishing Projects. The projects included Yamaha/Suzuki 40HP and fiberglass boats and nine (9) families from various communities were the happy recipients in 2020.
The projects touched many lives said Regan Nofo, one of the prior recipients. “My family is grateful to have received project assistance of a Yamaha 40HP Engine and a fiberglass boat from NCO, and that has enabled us to run a transportation business service between Nigella and Honiara. This has helped us a lot to pay for school fees, family needs, building materials, and meet other community obligations.”
Regan Nofo of Haleta Community in Ward 2- Central West Nigella points to his Transportation Project funded by CDF.
Another beneficiary, Robert Kabe of Logapolo Community also thanked the constituency office for supporting his family with a Suzuki 40HP Engine and a fiberglass boat. Currently Mr. Kabe also rams a transportation business service and help communities around his community by transporting them to Honiara for market and the sick to seek medical services in town.
“My small business has enabled me to meet my family expenses such as school fees, and household needs and solved transport difficulties.”
Fr John Talisi of Borohinaba village who was supported with a canteen project and funds to purchase copra similarly acknowledged NCO’s support. Now we have expanded our business to buying cocoa beans.”
“The support we received through the small business project helped my family to meet our family needs as well as improve our livelihoods. Thank you, NCO.”
Bartholomew Parapolo is the current Member of Parliament for Nigella Constituency.
The objectives of the Monitoring and Evaluation activity are:
· To verify the implementation status of projects funded by the CDF program in the constituency in 2020.
· To establish community participation in the CDF-funded projects in the constituency.
· To investigate the level of awareness of CDF among community members.
· To determine the level of satisfaction of community members in CDF-funded projects.
Constituency monitoring of CDF projects is part of MRD’s ongoing activity on CDF-funded programs being implemented within the 50 constituencies. The government through MRD supported the M&E activity.
Income Generating Activity at Borohinaba village in Ward 8 – North West Nigella supported by CDF.
The M&E mostly focused on projects funded by the Solomon Islands Government (SIG), including the Peoples Republic of China (PRC) CDF-funded projects for 2020.
Relevant data/information collected will support the ministry in its planning to assess the status of projects and the impact the funding support (CDF) have on the lives of constituents. Not only the data collected is important but gathering pieces of evidence on the ground by M&E officers, to confirm that constituencies utilized the funds for their intended purpose is paramount.
MRD is fully committed to seeing that all rural Solomon Islanders become meaningfully participated in development activities to improve their social and economic livelihoods.
Source -MRD
Source – Island Sun newspaper
Concern over unparalleled threat to the Pacific Ocean
A group of former heads of state and regional leaders wants the Our Oceans Conference in Palau to result in "meaningful outcomes" to safeguard the future of Pacific peoples.
A group of former heads of state and regional leaders wants the 7th Our Oceans Conference in Palau to result in "meaningful outcomes" to safeguard the future of Pacific peoples.
One of 340 islands in Palau where the Our Ocean is being held 13-14 April
The Pacific Elders' Voice (PEV) - an independent think tank made up of Pacific islanders who have been leaders in the region - said there is a need for greater protection of the marine environment.
The members include Dr. Hilda Heine of the Marshall Islands, Anote Tong of Kiribati, Tommy Remegesau Jr. of Palau, and Enele Sopoaga of Tuvalu who said they are "extremely concerned about the unprecedented threats that are facing the Pacific Ocean."
Threats such as the impacts of climate change, plastic pollution; illegal, unreported, and unregulated fishing, and the dumping of nuclear wastewater.
The leaders believe "more must and can be done in order to address these threats" and the forum next week needs to arrive at a conclusion that will protect the Pacific Ocean for the people that depend on it for their survival.
"The ocean represents the life-force of all Pacific Islands people," they said in a statement.
"We hope that the Our Oceans Conference will truly acknowledge this truth and set in train measures to ensure that the Pacific Ocean is appropriately protected for current and future generations."
Tuvaluan oceans and climate activist Maina Talia said people should get behind the former leaders' calls.
While speaking at a regional youth forum in the lead-up to the Oceans Conference on Thursday, Talia said listening to Pacific leaders is "something that we should take into account."
"The voices from our former leaders… will strengthen our voice when it comes to oceans discussions [at the Our Oceans Conference]," he said.
The Our Oceans Conference is hosted by Palau and the United States and will take place on Wednesday and Thursday next week.
In an interview with RNZ Pacific last month, Palau's President Surangel Whipps Jr. said] more than 60 countries are expected to participate in the meeting.
President Whipps Jr. said the conference was about "making commitments".
"It is important that we come up with strong policies that protect our oceans, but also help us manage them sustainably so that we can really build a prosperous future and economically resilient future for our peoples."
Source – Radio New Zealand.
Yours sincerely
Frank Short
