CAUSE Weekly Wrap-Up: Keeping you informed, one week at a time.

Issue 160 (Digital) 18 September – 22 September 2023
The weekly wrap-up newsletter is a way to connect and update staff and project stakeholders about the progress of projects implemented by CAUSE in different communities. It includes information about the projects in Honiara, Guadalcanal (areas outside of town boundary), Auki, Gizo, Noro, and Munda. CAUSE is supported by the Australian Government and the World Bank.

Updates from Auki

A pedestrian footbridge to connect the Molou footpath is currently under construction. Given favorable weather conditions, the footpath project is expected to be completed by the end of September 2023.

The roofing of the Ambu multi-purpose hall is now halfway done. It will take another week to finally complete the roofing works before the work on the floor slab can be started.

World Bank Technical Mission 20-28 September 2023

A World Bank Technical Mission is currently taking place. The mission is co-led by Andre Bald, Lead Urban Specialist, and Co-TTL based in Singapore, and Ifeta Smajic, Senior Social Development Specialist and Co-TTL based in Honiara.

The mission involves technical discussions with current and potential partners to progress the proposed design of Component 4 (Urban Management and Maintenance) under the next Phase of CAUSE interventions. This will serve as input to the First Preparation Mission happening in October 2023.

The above photos were taken during the recently concluded activities in the Western Province’s urban centers of Gizo, Noro, and Munda. Ms. Ifeta Smajic is seen with WPG division heads to discuss the urban infrastructure and service delivery with them, including their own source revenue collection and transfers, not to mention the impact of the CAUSE project in WP.

After Gizo, Ms. Smajic visited Noro and met with the Noro Town Council headed by the Town Clerk Mr. Gavin Tutu. The photo below shows Ms. Smajic posing for a photograph together with the members of Noro Town Council after their fruitful meeting.

The mission was concluded with a visit to the Noro Market and Backway Settlement. Another CAUSE community infrastructure site visited is the Munda Market retaining structure.

Green Valley Sharma School Road, located in Vura Ward, has been restored, and routine maintenance work will continue until April 2024.

The CAUSE Project continues to be highly inclusive, has yielded excellent results, particularly in helping to close the gender gap between men and women engaged in training and productive employment, and remains on track to meet its Project Development Objective, with less than 10 months remaining until closing. As of June 30, 2023, the Project has disbursed about 99% of its IDA financing envelope (D292-SB) and $4.26 million (58%) of the PPIUF Grant (TFB6580).

In the same period, the Project has: (i) engaged 7,499 beneficiaries (83.55 percent of the 8,400 target), of which 50.53 percent were women and 49.93 percent were youth; (ii) generated 333,000 person-days of work (84.31 percent of the intended end-line target of 370,000), with each participant working an average of 44.35 days (about 1 and a half months) or receiving SBD3,081.72 on average in wages (US$385.22); (iii) transferred a total of SBD23.20 million (approximately US$2.88 million) in wages; and (iv) provided 17,809 households (99 percent of the target 18,000) with improved access to infrastructure, services, or markets. Additionally, it is worth mentioning that 57.33 percent (of the 50 percent target) of the beneficiaries were reported to be from poor communities ranked as the “highest priority” in the vulnerability index.

Furthermore, the levels of women’s leadership in the Project remain high, with more than half (54 percent) of Team Leaders being women, and thus receiving increased hours and levels of responsibility and reporting on Project sites. This includes an exceptional 60 percent of Waste Collection team leaders being women and 19 percent of Community Access Infrastructure Project Team Leaders being women. It is expected to meet or exceed all targets except for new bank accounts opened or reactivated due to the inability of the banking service provider to respond in a timely manner to the high demand.

INSPIRING STORIES

Beryl Sosota, a stay-at-home mother of four teenagers, struggled to support her children’s education. She used to sell cooked food at the market and her husband provided OBM services and repair in Gizo. However, their income was not enough to cover their family’s expenses.

In November 2021, Beryl attended a seven-day ISDT training at Gizo PIU. She learned how to write a CV, an application letter and how to present herself during an interview. She was grateful for this training, as she was able to apply for a job as an office cleaner at the Gizo NPF branch.

Beryl was hired for the job and worked there for six months. She is pleased that NPF also helps pay her children’s school fees. This is a blessing for her family.

Ghorekera Tolipio, a participant from batch 34, is a SINU graduate from the class of 2021, actively seeking job opportunities. One of his aspirations was to join the Labour Mobility Scheme for seasonal employment, but he faced obstacles.

However, after enrolling in the ISDT training on September 19, 2022, Ghorekera utilized the certificate he obtained along with the attached reference to apply for jobs. Through his determination, he successfully secured a position. Additionally, he used his earnings from project work to cover the expenses for his passport. Ghorekera expressed his gratitude to the CAUSE project for their assistance in making his dreams come true.

During our recent encounter with him two weeks ago, he briefly visited for a vacation before returning to Australia. Ghorekera shared that the valuable lessons he acquired during the ISDT training played a significant role in his promotion to the position of works supervisor at the farm where he is currently employed. He is now in Australia, supporting his family financially and working towards establishing his own depot business, specializing in selling and expanding his inventory of drums.

Testimonials