Integrated Rural Development in the Solomon Islands

Situation
FSP/Counterpart International continued its programming in the Solomon Islands with the Integrated Rural Development Project, from 1982– 1986. Along with local partner Soltrust, FSP/Counterpart worked to provide sustainable employment opportunities for local Solomons.

What We Did
The project worked toreduce Solomon Islands’ national dependency on imported protein foods, to promote economic self-reliance, and to provide employment opportunities in the rural areas for vocational school students through the expansion of the present successful rural fisheries project to other rural areas in the Solomon Islands.

FSP/Counterpart’s programming focused mostly on small commercial and community projects:

• Training Center: The main Training Center was located at New Koloula, where up to 25 trainees could stay and attend trainings on agriculture, small industry and other practical skills.
• Sawmill Project: Modeled after the FSP’s portable sawmill program in Papua New Guinea, this project allows Solomons to purchase a sawmill that includes a three week training course, tools, spares and some maintenance assistance.
• Boat Building: A local boat builder builds the boats while training several men as boat builders. The boats are designed so they can carry freight and passengers and can also be used for fishing.
• Cancare: FSP/Counterpart teamed with Australian company, Cancare, to launch a recycling program in the Solomons. Cancare hires locals to collect cans, making the area cleaner and healthier, and then cans are condensed into crushed blocks and sent back to Australia to be recycled.
• Women’s Interest Groups: FSP/Counterpart hosted more than 20 five-day workshops for local women’s groups on topics like constructing cement sinks and charcoal stoves, instructions on sewing, and hands on gardening tips. While most participants were men, men often participated.

Cyclone Namu hit the Solomon Islands in April 1985, and proved to be aserious setback for the FSP programs – most of the energies of the FSP staff were directed towards cyclone rehabilitation, and many promising small projects were destroyed.

Impacts
One of the most exciting developments over the life of the Integrated Rural Development program was the growth of the FSP local partner institution, Soltrust. By project end, Soltrust appeared well on its way towards becoming a successful self-supporting local PVO, thanks to the early institution-building support of the FSP program.

The Cancare program quickly proved worthwhile, both in helping keep Honiara tidy and in promising an income to Soltrust for its future development programs, as did the Sawmill Project.