Igniting village participation, Siarana Village example .



Falitators and trainees with certificates after the closure of the workshop



Twenty five leaders of the executive, vestry, health, education, youth and women committees in Siarana village on South Small Gella in the Central Islands Province have attended a week-long participatory rural appraisal (PRA) training.

The training was conducted by the Solomon Islands Development Trust (SIDT), from July 10 to July 17, 2011.  SIDT’s PRA training is part of a series of trainings that are purposely meant to empower villagers with information that will help them to help themselves.

        In enabling villagers viewing their weaknesses and problems closely and in new heights through participatory approaches, they can also able to set village priorities clearer, design and decide on alternatives that will be part of their village action plans. Close to 25 dedicated leaders participated in the workshop for six days. They have to foregone their daily activities of going to their gardens and fishing grounds which shows that there are committed village leaders who are prepared to improve conditions at the village setting. 

        The content of the week-long workshop focuses on Self- assessment, mapping and assessment of village data or information and getting organized for meetings. SIDT as the facilitating organization for this PRA workshop told Siarana leaders, it is committed in working with Siarana village along with other Solomon Islands villages it has worked with as it strives towards its goal which is to improve the quality of Village living. Siarana has the capacity  at the village to start advocating on their issues  however as leaders expressed during the training, one of their  challenges is the ability to get responsible authorities at different levels to recognize the villagers struggle to have their plans realized.

         Like many hundreds of sister villages in Solomon Islands the story is almost similar. There is a lesson to be learnt here and that is there is gap between village development plans to that of the authority levels. There is a  a responsibility for villagers and leaders at the different levels to look at how to bridge the Gap in terms of recognizing village led development plans.

          It is obvious that despite Siarana is only a two hours ride by boat to Honiara yet the similar problems raised by remote communities or other provinces can be heard during the week long workshop. “If positive change is a Solomon Islands village requirement, then the gap between, villages, practitioners and government needs to be bridged. But where is this gap and how can it be bridged. While we try to have the villages informed and empowered at one end, will there be fewer excuses at the authority level or decision making level for the delay of basic services delivery for the thousands of villages in Solomon Islands?
         Villages are permanently stationed and are expanding, however, when their plans are not prioritized for support  by leaders who are looked at for advice, it can be disturbing and frustrating somehow. Sometimes one wonders do we ever think of our village as a priority or forget about the fact that one day this is where we will all end up.

         The village setting is Solomon Islands core, for sure it provides two confirm comforts respectively: a birth and death bed for any indigenous Solomon Islander.

Unfortunately the village is often overlooked and its populace are turned blind eye whenever they are advocating for some change in their village living.

          It is very obvious that the message one gets when working with village leaders is the same wherever you conduct a training in a village and Siarana is also no exception, “There is need for improvement in personal qualities of leaders at all levels at the village, Government, NGO’s and development partners if people need change to happen.  It’s worth a value in this short lifespan for sustainable community development concepts to flourish if we allow ourselves to learn, grow and work together with positive attitudes and responses to our village priorities.”

          Fortunately, there are those who continue to work despite the challenges encountered and yet they have caused some positive impacts to improve the villages’ well-being.  Though in a very low profile, and like a ‘fly on the wall,’ these dedicated individuals and groups continue to recognize and help reward villagers with the aim to help Solomon Islands as a country. Siarana village chairman Ronald Manedika on behalf of the community at the end of the training acknowledged SIDT’s input to the village and view the workshop as the beginning of a long term relationship.Gravis Rimamata on behalf of the participants echoed that such training is timely and indeed a blessing for the village. “It does really empower us leaders especially on skills and knowledge to lead our people.”

         Village catechist, George Manedika, emphasizes the need to put what has been acquired as information by leaders during the workshop into practice. “This workshop can only become fruitful once it is put into practice.” Church leaders who participated also highlighted the importance of maintaining Christian values as leaders.  In his speech, Fr. Divine Bosamata relates that the content of the workshop goes in line with Christian values as he reaffirms a theme in his sermon for the week: ‘Pertaining hope for a Glorious home.’
          At the end of the workshop Siarana leaders have come to realize that there are problems they have been coping with all through and the workshop was able to help them analyze their village situation. It helped them to look at possible solutions at their level.  “This workshop is a milestone in our village history” shouted Mr Manedika, who is now prepared to put into practice what is vested in him both by his village and SIDT. Another village leader, vice chairman of the village Paul Chris reminded the elders to work together. “We leaders need to cooperate and support each other if we are to improve our village living.’

          In valuing the workshop, villagers of Siarana host a feast at the workshop’s closing at which participants were awarded with their certificates of participation. There were exchange of handshakes and salutes by the villagers in showing their appreciation to SIDT.  The connectivity between SIDT and the villagers was appreciated. Community members have begun to identify a relationship that is geared towards improving their quality of life at the village level.
          As one of the facilitators Mr Manedika said it is evident; villages do have their difficulties however these can be solved if everyone work together to solve them.  “Villagers are not perfect either, there are disagreements and they are encouraged not to negatively point figures or negatively label their fellow villagers but look at alternative ways of solving problems.”  Win-win mediation techniques can be applied as a tool to mediate conflicts at decision making levels or in the process of the implementation of village action plans. “It will be pleasant and more constructive to work with positive attitudes and behavior first within ourselves, then towards one another and then to our village as a whole in addressing village initiatives.”

By Longden Manedika
SIDT