WOMEN RECIPIENTS ACKNOWLEDGES MP TUKI FOR LIVELIHOOD PROJECTS

Women at Nukukaisi community, a settlement of Tikopia people in Makira has acknowledged the government through their Member of Parliament (MP) for Temotu VATUD Constituency Honourable Freda Tuki for supporting them with five new solar deep freezer sets.

“As rural women we have been working so hard to earn money to support our family,” one of the five recipients Steaty Tonuseiroa said.

“We have children in school and the only way we can earn money to support them is by selling the little we have,” Miss Tonuseiroa told the Ministry of Rural Development (MRD) Communications and Public Relations Officer Andrew Fanasia Jr in Nukukaisi.

Speaking on behalf of other recipients, she said that most of the women in their communities are breadwinners for their families.

“We sat whole day with whatever we produce to sale it for very little money and sometimes we want to give up. However, with these new solar freezers, it will help us to produce something different to sale to our customers,” Ms Tonuseiroa said.

VATUD Constituency Accounts Officer (CAO) Gladys Mavae told MRD Media that most of the women applying for support through VATUD Constituency Office go for solar deep freezer.

“The Constituency choose to support them in this way to help improve their small income-generating business or projects to improve their livelihoods,” she added.

Meanwhile, Ms Tonuseiroa further stated that with her new solar freezer she will stored fish and other meats to sale and earn the money she need to support her school children and meet her family basic needs.

Hon Freda Tuki Soriocomua.

When asked how did she manage to support her children prior to receiving this project, she said selling cooked food and other little produce she have is the only way to earn money.

“I also do copra to earn money for my children and family. Today I am very happy because this my first time to get such assistance from our MP,” she expressed.

On behalf of her other recipients, she thanked their MP and VATUD Constituency Office and hope the same support is given to other women in her Constituency.

In terms of sustainability of the solar freezer projects, Constituency Development Officer Justin Faka Tanema said their office had engaged a refrigeration certified person to do backup services if there is any fault with the solar freezers.

“We encouraged the recipients of these projects to look after their solar freezers and use it for its intended purposes,” he told MRD Media in Nukukaisi.

The Vatud Constituency project delivery team left Nukukaisi Monday evening on MV Vatud Star vessel for Lata and continue with the delivery in Vanikoro, Anuta, Tikopia and Utupua.

The solar deep freezer set projects were part of the CDF projects delivery Vatud constituency office is currently carrying out in the constituency with Nukukaisi first to receive their projects on Monday.  Nukukaisi is a settlement in Makira Province where most of Vatud registered voters especially Tikopia people are residing with proximity to access basic government services that are inaccessible in their community due to the remoteness of their Islands.

Project delivery include boats & engines (OBMs) and solar deep freezer sets under the constituency fishery projects, churches and schools hardware materials projects, small income-generating projects for individuals including materials for two clinics rest house for patients at Utupua and Vanikoro Islands.

Second hand, clothe bales, sewing machines and solar lights projects offloaded at Nukukaisi under the constituency CDF income-generating project for women.

The delivery include projects for last year (2021) which cost over $4 million and this year (2022) costing 2 million plus bringing total cost of $6 million plus in CDF.

According to the Constituency Development Officer (CDO) Justine Tanema part of the delivery was done in May last year but halted due to the Covid-19 restrictions.

He added that another major challenge that delay their delivery is transport difficulties as experienced all year round for that remote part of the country.

This year’s CDF contributors are SIG and PRC (China) which allocate public development funds to Constituencies to support rural development initiatives according to constituency development priorities.

According to the Solomon Islands Constituency Development Fund Act 2013 (s.5) funds may be allocated for development purposes to individuals, group income-generating projects, or community projects.

MRD is responsible for the coordination of the rural CDF program in close collaboration with the 50 constituencies towards delivering tangible development results in rural areas.

MRD is fully committed to seeing that all rural Solomon Islanders become meaningfully participated in development activities to improve their social and economic livelihoods.

– MRD Press