Ellen Palmer's speech at the MB4 graduation

It is my honour to stand here on behalf of the group as a speaker in this graduation ceremony this afternoon. Today we have gathered to celebrate our graduation. It is indeed a momentous event that reflects our achievement because it marks the ending of a whole era in our lives. The ten weeks of excitement and life skills were very special because they equipped us to become purposefulness individuals. Without this successful initiative we would be somebody different in our homes and communities.

Now I would like to express our utmost gratitude to all sponsors, organisations and private persons who stood up tall to support us in one way or the other. Especially I would like to convey our great thanks to the Solomon Islands Government through the Ministry of Women, Youth and Children’s Affairs; and the New Zealand Government through your aid programs.

We really applaud your fine assistance. Today we are often constrained to our own domestic affairs. We think of our own future, with hope at times, but when we are in trouble we suffer much, much more. We have to fight for our everyday needs but we have few resources to struggle against the extreme poverty.

The most unprotected circle of Solomon Islanders is children and women. It frightens us to see children suffer. So when we were offered the opportunity to participate in Sistas Savve, we came to know what was required of us. As women.

Thank you very much. God bless.

MB4 Graduation

Last Friday, 20 young women from Mbokanavera 4 Community in Honiara graduated from the Sistas Savve programme!

A large crowd of friends and supporters gathered to watch the ceremony which included speeches by Sumi Subramanium, Director of Family Planning International; the Honourable Douglas Ete, MP East Honiara; Sarah Wong, New Zealand High Commission and Ellen Palmer, MB4 Sistas Savve graduate.

It was a beautiful afternoon with performances, food and a gorgeous chocolate cake. The women set up a stall and sold handmade lavalavas, doormats and t-shirts. They’ll use these profits to buy more materials to make more products for the trade show and other upcoming markets.

Congratulations to all the MB4 graduates! They’ve worked hard and deserve much success. The women are now forming a savings club and a cooperative to sell their products.

Sharing Sistas Savve skills at Kwaio Valley

A wonderful afternoon was had at Kwaio Valley on Wednesday with Sistas Savve graduates sharing their skills with other woman in their community.

Graduates from the first ever Sistas Savve group – including Sarah, Jefflyna, Martha and Alice – organised a peer-to-peer workshop so they could pass on the skills they learnt at Sistas Savve. The first two projects were learning to make baskets out of discarded plastic and handbags out of nylon rope. It was a laughter-filled afternoon that yielded many promising results!

Sistas Savve staff, Jenny (Community Outreach Officer) and Penny (volunteer), joined in the fun. And the great news is that the afternoon was such a success, the women have decided to continue with regular Wednesday afternoon peer-to-peer workshops.

Three cheers for making the world a better place!

Sistas Savve celebrated World Environment Day in style with a stall showcasing their 'up-cycling' products. Big hits of the day were their crocheted bathmats, made from fabric offcuts, and their woven baskets, made by recycling discarded plastic. It was a wonderful way to raise awareness for both Sistas Savve and the environment. Three cheers for everyone!

Ministers and MPs hear about Sistas Savve

Jenta Tau, the General Secretary of Solomon Islands YWCA - one of the main project partners of Sistas Savve - was interviewed by Radio New Zealand yesterday. As a panelist at the Open Hearing on Adolescent Sexual and Reproductive Health and Rights in the Pacific, Jenta spoke about the work Sistas Savve is doing to educate young women in Solomon Islands on SRHR. Her audience included Pacific and New Zealand Ministers, Parliamentarians and other high-level decision-makers. 
Listen to Jenta's interview here

Jenta Tau (far left) at the New Zealand Parliamentarians Group on Population and Development (NZPPD), where she spoke about Sistas Savve.

An afternoon of giraffes and love-hearts

Sistas Savve had a special guest facilitator recently – Kelly from Australia dropped by to teach us how to applique beautiful images onto clothing for children. Sistas Savve participants spent the afternoon elbow-deep in zebras, giraffes, love-hearts and bunny rabbits!

Meet Joyce Kana, a Recent Sistas Savve Graduate

29-year-old Joyce Kana lives in Mamana Water Community, is married and has two children aged 3 and 11. She graduated from Sistas Savve about two months ago. The Sistas Savve staff continues to work closely with graduates, and had a chat with Joyce about her life after the training.

Joyce and her family currently live with her parents, but her goal is to save up enough money to build her own house. “My husband doesn’t work, and if he does find work, he doesn’t save the money that he earns.” she says. 

Joyce supports her family by selling fish at Honiara Central Market. “After the [Sistas Savve] financial literacy and marketing training, I have started growing my business, and have also begun saving some of my earnings,” Joyce tells us. “I never saved up my money before. All the Mamana graduates have formed a savings club and have a joint bank account, which I contribute to through the proceeds I make.”

Joyce has also been selling her crafts on the side, which she learned to make through Sistas Savve: “I’ve been selling my products in my village, and have even sold a basket to an expat who attended our church,” she says.

Joyce has also visited the local Solomon Islands Planned Parenthood Association (SIPPA) clinic for the first time, and says that following the training, she feels much more confident about getting health check-ups, including family planning advice.

Stay tuned for more stories on what Sistas Savve women have accomplished after they graduated!