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