Pretty Postcards

Sistas Savve is pleased to announce the arrival of our lovely postcards, just in time for you to write all those Christmas letters back home! Each of the four images showcases the craft of a different Sistas Savve graduate, and all proceeds directly support the women with their small businesses selling these products. We think you’ll have trouble deciding which ones to buy, so they are also available in packaged sets for just $40! We have a limited supply, so come down to the Lime Lounge or the YWCA office to purchase some soon.

Clockwise from top left: SS graduates Margareth, Kerolyn, Sarah and Weena showcasing their products on these beautiful postcards.  

An Update from Drusheilla

A few weeks ago, we congratulated White River Sistas Savve graduate Drusheilla Pongi for being selected to attend the  2012 Pacific Leadership Program Symposium. We are pleased to report that the conference was a success, and she made it back to the Solomon Islands safely. 

She arrived in Brisbane to attend week-long conference along with 40 other participants, most of whom were MPs, CEOs, Chairpeople and public servants from around the Pacific. Even the Princess of Tonga attended! 

During the week, Drusheilla and her colleagues worked on designing effective interventions for issues in their home countries. Sistas Savve got some great publicity, as Drusheilla made sure she got the opportunity to talk about the work that we do to educate young mothers in Honiara.  She discussed the issues caused by teenage pregnancy in the Solomon Islands, and everyone agreed that there was a need for more programs based on the Sistas Savve model. The entire group then worked together to identify possible solutions and methods for achieving her goal of opening more vocational schools. 

Being able to put forward her experiences and have them recognised by leaders from around the Pacific was a highlight for Drusheilla, who is passionate about engaging young people and helping them to become more productive. She also made lots of new friends in high places, and enjoyed dancing and eating with them every night after the hard day's work. 

Congratulations again to Drusheilla for earning the opportunity to attend the PLP Symposium. It's great to see Sistas Savve graduates doing such amazing things and we can't wait to see more! 

Drusheilla (back row, 6th from right) with the other PLP Symposium participants 

Picture Perfect

Sorry for our silence this week, we have been busy working on a new business venture- postcards! Here's a 'sneak peek' of the photo shoot, where our fantastic photographer Kerrie is snapping Margareth from Mbokonavera 4 dying her lava lavas. 
A huge thanks to Kerry and Mandy at CYP for offering their photography skills for the shoot!

Kerrie taking photos of Margareth, who is demonstrating how to dye lava lavas

Sistas Savve Stepping out from the Shadows

The Sistas Savve women have a strong presence at the Convention for the Elimination of all forms of Discrimination Against Women (CEDAW) Shadow Report Workshop being held this week. Several staff members, volunteers and two Sistas Savve graduates are halfway through a four day workshop, in which several women-focused NGOs are working together to write the CEDAW Shadow Report.

The Shadow Report is written by Solomon Islands NGOs to complement and critique the report written by the SI government. Both reports evaluate the country’s progress towards achieving the goals of CEDAW, which encompass all the ways in which women are denied equality with men. Goals include achieving the right to vote and be involved in politics, the right to live free of harmful gender stereotypes and violence, and the right to equal access to health-care, education, and employment.

As in all countries, there are several barriers stopping females from enjoying their full rights and achieving equality with males in the Solomon Islands. Although the Solomon Islands government signed the CEDAW treaty in 2002, it is yet to submit a report to the CEDAW Committee. Writing the Shadow Report is a great opportunity for Sistas Savve to use their experience and stories to benefit women at a national level.

Clockwise from left: SS White River graduates, Weena and Loloma, SS Coordinator Doris, Community Liasion Officer Jenny and VSA Volunteer Hannah discuss ways to improve employment, education and health rights for women in the Solomon Islands.

Sistas Savve graduate leads the way

Recent Sistas Savve graduate Drusheilla Loloma Pongi has been selected to attend the Pacific Leadership Program Leadership Symposium in Brisbane, Australia, this month. Drusheilla says her selection is a great honour, ‘I feel happy and proud to be representing Sistas Savve and the Solomon Islands.’

Drusheilla is from White River and, at 23 years, is the youngest member of the Solomon Islands delegation attending the Symposium. She’s a natural leader, having had experience in leadership roles since childhood in many areas including dancing and promotional work. A talented designer and jewellery maker, Drusheilla uses the skills she learnt in the Sistas Savve training program to make and sell products such as paper bead jewellery. She recently made an exquisite set that was presented to the Duchess of Cambridge on her recent visit to Honiara.

Sistas Savve’s Community Outreach Officer, Jenny Rachel Kaniko, said the Symposium was an important opportunity for leaders to discuss different styles of leadership and training across the Pacific and to learn from each other. She added that Drusheilla’s selection demonstrates that there are many and varied paths to leadership. While formal education is often an advantage, a person who has not reached a certain level can still be an effective and dynamic leader: ‘A positive, can-do attitude – that’s what makes the difference.’

Drusheilla is looking forward to discussions with other members of the Pacific leadership community, and will also take a selection of Sistas Savve products to display and sell. We wish her all the very best in Brisbane!