"It's the passion of working with communities that drives me to continue despite challenges especially working in remote communities that are sometimes hard to reach because of rough seas, long distances, and geographic settings," said Judith Kaki World Vision Solomon Islands Manager General.

The Nature-Based Opportunities Underpinning Resilient and Sustainable Households (NOURISH) project will ensure vulnerable children are well nourished in climate-resilient households and communities in Makira Ulawa Province.

"Our school is far, where we can walk three hours to reach, and on our way, we cross rivers; thus, when we learn about disasters, the knowledge is with us, and whenever there is rain, I always tell our teachers to consider us who need to cross rivers to go home and we sometimes go early,"

"It doesn't matter whether a child is a boy or girl, disable or able or where a child comes from, all of them have the same right,"

"My dad died in 2016 so I left school because I don't have anyone to support me in school as my mother is just a house wife," a 16 year old Rhoda told hundreds who have gathered to commemorate the World Disability Day and International Children's Day in Auki. 

Violence is everyone's business,"

Farmer Managed Natural Regeneration (FMNR) is a low-cost land restoration technique used to combat poverty and hunger amongst farmers by increasing food and timber production and resilience to climate extremes.

Marlon was once a shopkeeper in a Chinese shop in Honiara. He had decided to go back to the village and live with his mother. Lacking empowerment makes life much harder for him. From the humble beginning, Marlon usually bakes doughnuts daily to sell in his community. He started baking doughnuts, earning a few dollars up to $100 daily.

This year, WVSI adopted the Gudfala Life approach through its Faith and Development Programme and worked with a few communities in Honiara. 

The programme is crucial because, according to the UNICEF Situation Analysis on abuse for Children below 15 years, the Solomon Islands is the highest in the Pacific Island Countries and Timor Leste region, which stands at 37 percent. In addition, the Unseen, Unsafe: The Underinvestment in Ending Violence Against Children in the Pacific and Timor-Leste (2019) report estimated about 212,687 Solomon Islands children aged 1-14yrs experienced some form of violent discipline at home, including physical and emotional violence.

Specifically, on food consumption patterns in 122 households of the ten communities, only 37% practice the minimum dietary diversity recommended for infant and young child feeding practices. 
 

Interestingly, the record shows that 106 groups currently save $1,462,926 (SBD). 

"Before this project came to our community, differences existed within us, especially among the three different church denominations in our community. However, this has changed, and I thank World Vision because, through the CCOH program, the three denominations are now united," Chair Person of YONEMA Community Hope and Action Team (CHAT) James Nina testified.

"I am happy to know hygiene practices because this knowledge is not only important to prevent me from COVID-19 but also for protecting me from other diseases like diarrhrea," says 13-year-old Agnes.

“I am enjoying my learning because I have my school uniform, pen, pencil, a good school bag and also I always have lunch money that my mum and dad give me,” Young Thomas said.

“I am very interested and happy to work in this crushing mill and every day we come to work,” Mrs Angella said.

World Vision is also working to equipping youths to be self reliant to address the youth unemployment rate which is is high at the moment, specifically, in the capital Honiara, approximately 20% of youth are unemployed, while in rural areas youth unemployment rates reach 50%.

A European Union funded project “the One Voice of World Vision Solomon Islands continues educating communities in Makira and South Malaita about the National Health standards.

Like any other couple, Delilah and Samson (their Pseudonym names) have been through thick and thin in their marriage life. They have three children, two boys and a girl. Their daughter has now married and has her own family.

Their fast growing saving this year can be attributed to their commitment to the Saving for Transformation model (S4T) of World Vision.

World Vision Solomon Islands has dedicated an office for the Weather Coast Area Program at Manikalaku Sub-Station, Marau Sound yesterday, July 3oth 2021.

A new livelihood project of World Vision Solomon Islands that aim to establish scalable pathways for an increase consumption of local and nutritious foods and to improve rural incomes has signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) recently with the ten communities in Malaita that are partners with the project.

“We have seen the light coming to our communities especially once the by-laws established in our continues will reduce anti-social behaviours and as someone been so faithful since the commencement of this project up until today, I thank God for where we are now, despite the challenges along the way,” said Pastor Joel from Suko Community Weather Coast of Guadalcanal.

A total of 15 mothers from North Malaita are now equipped with fish farming knowledge after attending an Aquaculture training organized by World Vision and Ministry of Fisheries and Marine Resources at Auki, Malaita Province.

Market Linkage Phase 11 (MLPII) Project of World Vision Solomon Islands in Makira Area Program has recorded a total of 13.9 tons of cocoa with a value of $145,846.78 (SBD) produced by its producer groups for the first half of this year.

The figure was recorded from the shipments of cocoa by the producer groups from January up to June to Kokonut Pacific Solomon Islands.

World Vision Solomon Islands together with the two main bodies governing churches in the country, the Solomon Islands Christian Association (SICA) and Solomon Islands Full Gospel Association (SIFGA) have sealed a church partnership yesterday by signing a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU).

For David, bee farming teaches teamwork and it also teaches human a lesson to be faithful in whatever duties or role entrusted upon the shoulder. That is in a hive each bee has a specific role and interestingly when assuming those roles they carry them out fully. Significantly, bee also teaches mutual care, equality and a sense of justice.

Young Milton Fonolabu told World Vision, the waves causing erosion has continued eating away the soils and now swallowed up part of their road.

Mothers still walk far to fetch water just for washing and cooking.

“COVID-19 pandemic has affected our cash flow resulting on us those residing on the islands facing difficulty to get vegetables from the market as we only depend on that to access vegetables since vegetables like Saladia, Pak Choi  and Tomato cannot grow better if we plant them here.”

Empowering children on disaster risk reduction knowledge is important as children and women are 14 times more likely to die or injure during disasters.

Since early 2020 a total of 431 youths have been trained on how to generate business ideas and to starting a business. They were 117 in North Malaita, 102 from Shortland Islands, 100 youths from Honiara including the final leg being conducted recently to112 from Weather Coast of Guadalcanal.

The project works alongside churches and community members to cultivate community-driven solutions to addressing violence against women. It partners with national church leaders and communities to adopt the Community Channel of Hope for Gender (CCOHG) teaching methodology and utilize it in their faith-based teaching across the Solomon Islands.

UNICEF and World Vision Solomon Islands, in consultation with Ministry of Health and Medical Services (MHMS) are partnering to deliver community-based approaches to create demand and capacity in health centres and communities with the aim of increasing immunization rates and knowledge on the benefits of sticking to age-appropriate immunization schedules.

World Vision Solomon Islands (WVSI) and the Ministry of Fisheries and Marine Resources have formalized their partnership on March 3, 2021, through a signing of a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) at the Ministry’s office in Honiara for sustainable management of fisheries and livelihood integration

Solomon Islands joins the globe to celebrate International Women's Day

World Vision Solomon Islands through the support of the Australian Humanitarian Partnership (AHP) is implementing a project that aims to improve nutrition and support balanced diets for communities in Marau, Guadalcanal Province.

Because of its importance to ensure schools are resilient and students understand good hygiene practices, World Vision Solomon Islands is currently rolling out a COVID-19 program to assist a total of 106 Schools in Honiara and surrounding areas, East Guadalcanal, and Makira- Ulawa Provinces.

The Solomon Islands is one of the most disaster-prone countries in the world. Together with USAID through the Bureau of Humanitarian Affairs (BHA), World Vision is equipping vulnerable communities to ensure resiliency and better preparedness during natural disasters.

Lonsdale and Wereti strongly believe that most parents lack a clear understanding of each other. “As for me and my wife, like many others, we also have our share of arguments and fights,” shared the couple. “Through the World Vision Channels of Hope program, we learned to grow together and understand each other much better than before,” says Lonsdale.

With the support from both the Australian and New Zealand governments, the first wave of damage assessment and the response was conducted in east and central Honiara by World Vision and Solomon Islands Red Cross. Coordinated by the National Disaster Management Office (NDMO), the assessment found out that more than 80 households have major damages to property and food crops.

“It never occurred to us that we needed a disaster preparedness and response plan. We experienced earthquakes and cyclones in the past, but all we did was stand still or run and hide in our houses until it passed,” shared Steven, the head principal of Taripara School.

"Today I am living with a vision and am optimistic that one day I will venture into a big business with my projects."