Two Solomon Islands inspirational news stories worth sharing.
I guess few people in the developed world today would give much more than a glance to a story about a rural water supply. In the Solomon Islands, however, the supply of water to a rural community last week brought much celebration and joy to the Chichinge community in Malango ward, Central Guadalcanal.
The community celebrated the completion of a water supply project that had been funder the Government’s Rural Development Project.
For the first time in 42 years since the Solomon Islands attained its independence the village community had water at their door step.
Cause enough for celebration, indeed.
For more than 50 years the community had to struggle to find clean water to drink.
In 2009, the local MPA brought in water tanks but they proved inadequate because they only proved useful during the rainy season.
No wonder there were tears of joy shed in the Chichinge community last Friday.
The second story and to me similarly gratifying relates how the current Miss Solomon Islands, Gladys Habu, recently took time to spend the 42nd independence anniversary with the young deaf and mute special needs children at the San Isi Dro Care Centre in Aruligo in North West Guadalcanal.
Ms Habu later described her day at the Centre as having been rewarding as she mingled with the “often forgotten group of people in our community.”
She said the children were a huge inspiration to her and “I learnt so much from them. From learning how to say alphabet in their language and interacting with them closely, to seeing how deeply they appreciate the little things that so many of us take for granted.”
She added,” So many times we often over look the needy.”
Yes, Gladys, the needy are often overlooked and I hope your visit to the San Isi Dro Centre will have served to highlight the greater concerns for persons with disabilities in the Solomon Islands and I especially think of the children with physical and intellectually problems, the mentally ill, the deaf, the blind and those with impaired vision, the physically handicapped needing artificial limbs and those requiring other forms of mobility aids such as wheel chairs and crutches.
Yours sincerely
Frank Short
