From Barriers to Breakthrough: How Satellite Clinics Bring Hope to Guadalcanal’s Mothers and Children

In the last quarter of 2025, nurses arrived in Lambi village, and mothers gathered under coconut trees. Some for their first antenatal check-up ever. For many, this was more than a clinic; it was a lifeline.

In Guadalcanal’s remote communities, distance and cost keep women from accessing essential maternal and child health services. Many delay antenatal visits or miss cervical cancer screenings entirely, increasing risks for mothers and babies.

Meet Linda Nongi, a mother from Mangakiki. Like many women, Linda feared the long journey to town clinics.
“Many women don’t go to gynae clinics because they fear the distance and costs. Bringing services to the village lets them access care safely and conveniently,” she says.

World Vision Solomon Islands partnered with Guadalcanal Province nurses to deliver satellite clinics and health education sessions in 18 communities. The outreach combined awareness on antenatal care, family planning, immunisation, and cervical cancer with on-site services—making care accessible where families live.

The impact was transformative: mothers received timely antenatal checks, high-risk pregnancies were identified and referred, and children accessed immunisation and growth monitoring without the burden of travel. Women learned about family planning and cervical cancer prevention, and those who needed treatment received it on the spot. Communities gained confidence in their health system, and nurses strengthened relationships that encourage follow-up care.

“Having nurses come to the community is very helpful. Women usually only go to the clinic when they are sick, so we are grateful for health checks in our own village,” says Paskasia Tavuata, a 79-year-old community leader from Hulavu.

Nurses saw the difference too.
“Village-based outreach greatly improves access. Women receive ANC, VIA screening, HPV treatment, family planning, and child immunisations without travel costs. Early identification of high-risk pregnancies and on-site treatment prevent complications and save lives,” says RN Alberta Veo, Zone 1 Supervisor.

By bringing care closer, these satellite clinics are more than a health intervention—they are a promise of equity, dignity, and hope for mothers and children in Guadalcanal’s most remote corners.