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Delegation from CYP Pacific Centre in the village of North Malaita to assess youth initiatives

17 July 2007

CYP Pacific Centre programme manager Paul Peteru and Regional Youth Caucus representative for Australia, Matthew Albert visited a series of youth focused projects in North Malaita, Solomon Islands on 10 July 2007.

Their visit aimed to garner a greater understanding of the initiatives that are being developed to support the young people of North Malaita. The projects are being driven by local social entrepreneur, Redley Ramo through his consultancy, Uttermost Rural Development Foundation (URDF).

Malaita has a 'youth bulge' like other provinces of the Solomon Islands. It is home to almost double the number of people aged 15 - 29 than Honiara, the capital, giving it the largest group of people in this age group in the Solomon Islands.

The young people of Malaita were the subject of international attention in 2006 when they were named as key players in the political riots which damaged parts of the capital.

The CYP delegates were guests of the first Independence Day soccer tournament. The competition was organised by the North Malaita Football Association for ten teams. This tournament followed on from the equally successful North Malaita 2006 Christmas Games that was organised by To'abaita Authority for Research and Development student volunteer group.

The CYP delegation also visited one of only two established nurseries in the Solomon Islands, another project of the URDF. The Gwaunakwaru Cocoa Nursery provides free cocoa seedlings to young farmers across North Malaita. The aim is to give young people support for rural farming and to produce and plant 100,000 cocoa seedlings each year. North Malaita has recently contributed about 10% of national cocoa production.

The Savings Club of URDF also aims to support young people who want to help themselves. At a meeting of stake-holders and youth workers, the micro-finance scheme, with a membership of twenty, was explained to the CYP staff. The members pay their savings from income-generating projects into a central fund with a view to securing and increasing their savings, and obtaining loans.

A similar initiative is also operating for 62 members of the nearby Fanumusi Youth Association. This Youth Association hosted a public meeting for Peteru and Albert. Both gave presentations about the work of the CYP to a crowd of 60 local people, who were called to the meeting by the blowing of a conch shell.

Peteru highlighted the role of CYP and the way that young people needed to be given a say in how services were operated for and with them. Albert engaged the young crowd in a discussion about the most important issues for them. He also explained the role of the Regional Youth Caucus.

At the end of his presentation, Peteru noted that Ramo's work, like the work of social entrepreneurs the world over, is focused upon building financial, social and communal resources. More importantly, the activities embody what Peteru noted as the primary focus of the Commonwealth Secretariat, 'Respect and Understanding'.

Through Ramo's entrepreneurial enterprise, the young people of North Malaita are demonstrating that this is not only what they are working for, it is what they deserve.