Historic launch to empower women in business with Australian support

BY NED GAGAHE

The West Are’are Rokotanikeni Association (WARA) celebrated the launch of two new books yesterday thanks to support from Australia’s Civil Society Strengthening Programme.

One of the books is titled – Sisihora Rete (meaning good stories in the Are’are language) which documents women’s business experiences, and the other is a leadership manual authored by Dr Alice Pollard.

These resources are set to benefit 6,000 members across Solomon Islands through 13 key stakeholders.

Sharon Tohaimae, WARA Chairlady – Governance Committee, praised the support from Australia and partners.

She also acknowledged Mrs Pollard’s vision and dedication.

She expressed optimism that the books would foster empathy, education, and empowerment within the community.

“We hope these books will help us connect and foster empathy as we continue to serve our communities.

“Our goal is for these resources to inspire, educate, and empower, and we are excited to see their impact on our target audiences,” Tohaimae said.

WARA Volunteer Rebekah Maeniuta highlighted that the leadership book addresses essential aspects of power, leadership, and governance.

She emphasised the organisation’s commitment to mentoring young women and girls for leadership roles, stating that the book will serve as a vital guide for their future efforts.

“We believe it is very important that Rural WARA members understand that they have power within themselves to make positive change in our communities and nation

“As women leaders of Are’Are and Solomon Islands we must serve and empower based on principles of what is right, just and fair.

“We believe that WARA as an organisation must have mechanisms in place to maintain the oversight and accountability of the organisation.”

Nicole Smith, DFAT counsellor for Governance and Stability, affirmed Australia’s commitment to supporting local voices, especially women.

She noted that the Australia’s Civil Society Strengthening Programme, which recently launched, provided crucial support to 29 civil society organisations, including WARA.

Smith expressed satisfaction with the outcomes of this support, which totals SBD$3 million, marking the beginning of a longer-term investment in Solomon Islands’ civil society.

“Australia is pleased to support local civil society advocacy groups ranging from all across civil society through our Civil Society Strengthening Programme which was stood out just earlier this year.

“We really recognised that the 2024 Joint Elections were the prime opportunity to really support civil societies to get their voices out there speak out on their platforms on issues that matters to them and their members.

“As a result of that we were able to support 29 CSO and WARA was one of those CSOs so we are really pleased to see the result of that work and we are really pleased to launch those outcomes today.

“The support for those 29 organisations is totaled SBD$3 million. It’s a start of longer-term investment in civil societies in Solomon Islands,” she said.

The launch was done at the Heritage Park hotel.