Afu Leah Billy

She holds a BA in Business Management from the Charles Sturt University, New South Wales, Australia, and also a ‘Women in Development’ (Pacific Region) Certificate from the International Training Institute, Sydney, Australia. She has wide experience in local and regional broadcast and print media. She is a current member of the AusAID funded Pacific Media Communication’s Facility (PMCF), a regional project aiming to build the communication abilities of Pacific governments, their media industries and civil society to promote good governance in the region.

She has been instrumental in setting up women’s NGOs such as the Solomon Islands National Council of Women which addresses women’s developmental issues; the Family Support Centre that addresses violence against women and children and ‘Vois Blong Mere Solomons’ a women’s communication and information network. Ms. Billy’s management background enabled her to become the first national Country Programme Manager of the Save the Children Australia Solomon Islands Office which ran an extensive youth peer to peer advocacy project. Prior to becoming the Regional Director of the CYP SP Centre, she was a Human Rights Trainer with the Regional Rights Resource Team (RRRT) a programme of the UNDP in Suva, Fiji, working in 8 South Pacific countries with governments, NGO’s and developmental partners, promoting and defending the rights of vulnerable groups such as women, children and young people through training, advice and advocacy.

“I believe that the challenge for all governments should be the distribution of their scarce resources fairly and equitably among the different groups for whom they govern. Young people and women have so much to offer governments in addressing this challenge. The challenge for our CYP team is to engage with Pacific governments, to dialogue with them and their representatives to facilitate a space where young people might be better included in the various aspects of national developments. I believe that young people are an asset, not a liability. Treat them with respect, listen to them, plan with them and guide them and celebrate with them their successes both big and small”