Famous in Honiara

Sistas Savve is getting even more publicity, with another article being run in today's Solomon Star. It discusses how the women learnt how to make the earrings at a Festival of Pacific Arts workshop, and are now selling them for income!

Getting Creative

We never cease to be amazed by the spirit of ‘know how’ and ‘can do’ that permeates Sistas Savve!

You may remember that, recently, some of our grads had a special workshop in weaving earrings: http://sistassavve.blogspot.com/2012/07/jewellery-making-workshop.html

One of these grads, Karen Malao, then went on to teach the coil weave technique to the current group of Sistas Savve women from White River. They had three productive workshops working with nylon string and plastic beads and they made many beautiful pairs of earrings.

That in itself would be a happy story but, wait, there’s more.

One day, White River participant, Weena Brechtefeld, was at home weaving earrings and got to thinking, ‘What other materials can I use to make these?’ She rummaged around and found some shells, dry pandanus leaves and buttons off an old shirt. Friends in her community said, ‘Why are you collecting all that rubbish?’ But Weena had had a brilliant idea – why buy materials when there’s so much to be had for free? All it takes is some initiative and creative thinking.

Take a look at Weena’s stunning earrings made from found materials in her community. And now she’s going to share her ‘know how’ with the other women in her Sistas Savve group. Thank you Weena!

Weena modelling her lovely earrings made from pandanus leaves and shells. 

Weena's earrings, made entirely from products she found around her home. 

Sistas Savve welcomes facilitator, Jocelyn Lai

Sistas Savve was lucky to have Jocelyn Lai facilitate two workshops last week. She taught the women from White River how to make both doormats and blouses. The mats are for scraping mud off outdoors and are made of recycled bottle tops. The blouses are in the breezy style of 'meri blouses' from the Pacific region.

Thank you, Jocelyn, for sharing your skills with humour and patience!

Sistas Savve brings some bling bling to Honiara

Sistas Savve featured in the Solomon Star yesterday! Here's an article about the workshops we had with Lisa from the Pacific Women's Weaving Circle.

Teaching sexual reproductive health

Graduate, Veronica Esibaea, was back today to pass on some of the knowledge she learnt last term during Mbokanavera 4's Sistas Savve training program. Veronica facilitated the workshop on sexual reproductive health – a workshop that never fails to be greeted by peals of laughter! But of course there's a serious side to this subject matter and the White River women learnt many important facts about anatomy, health and reproduction. Thank you, Veronica!

Sistas Savve at the Trade Show

Sistas Savve products were in great demand at the Trade Show in Honiara. We shared a stall with the YWCA and sold jewellery, doormats, baskets, bags, lavalavas, pillow cases and much much more. There were many visitors to the stall and the show was such a success, it was extended by two days!

 

Jewellery making workshop

Sistas Savve had a very special workshop recently with Lisa Hilli from the Pacific Women's Weaving Circle. Lisa visited Honiara for the Festival of Pacific Arts and, while in town, facilitated a jewellery making workshop for graduates from MB4 and Mamana Water. Those who attended learnt how to make gorgeous bracelets and earrings, which they then sold at the Trade Fair. More on that to follow!

Delicious Cassava Pudding and Fried Fish: A Fundraiser at Mamana Water Community

Mamana Water Community, the first group of women to graduate from Sistas Savve, recently held a second fundraiser for their joint savings club. Their goal is to save up enough money to build a permanent leaf hut where they can organize, meet and create their products. At the moment, the women congregate in an unconvered meeting spot in their beach community, which provides little respite from the weather, and no privacy.


The Mamana women organized games and sold fried fish and delicious cassava pudding to visitors and the rest of their community, earning over $1000 Solomon Islands dollars that will go towards the hut.

Sylvesta Sade prepares the cassava pudding.

Sistas Savve Community Officer Jenny Kaniko (front) and Sistas Savve graduate Mary Joe (back) wrap the delicious food parcels.

The food stand is set up.

Political Support for Sistas Savve from MP Douglas Ete

To mark the graduation and end of the 10-week training for the Mbokanavera 4 (MB4) Community last week, a touching and celebratory graduation was held at the YWCA in Honiara. Sunday Isles was on the spot, along with several other news outlets, to cover the occasion.  

Douglas Ete, MP for East Honiara, held a speech highlighting the challenges young women in Solomon Islands face in terms of sexual and reproductive health and rights (SRHR), and praised Sistas Savve:

"Sistas Savve is a great example of how we can build sexual and reproductive health and rights into comprehensive life and livelihood training for young women, who have not had the chance to complete a formal education. These women’s new knowledge and skills will impact not only their families, but their entire communities. I see these women as peer educators and advocates. I am very inspired by Sistas Savve, and will certainly be highlighting it at Parliament." 

Ete also said that he would be working towards spotlighting Solomon Islands' track record on SRHR in his political work:

"I am now working towards conducting a select committee hearing on adolescent sexual and reproductive health and rights at the Solomon Islands Parliament later this year. Hopefully, we will be able to map out what is being done in this area in the Solomons, and identify gaps that need to be addressed. I want to thank the New Zealand Government for its supporting the Sistas Savve project, as one of the few initiatives promoting women’s empowerment and health in Solomon Islands. Together with my fellow MPs, I look forward to supporting this effort in whichever way we can."

We are proud to have Honourable Ete support the Sistas Savve project!