Issue 164 (Digital) 16 October – 20 October 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.
CAUSE is preparing to assume a critical role in assisting the Honiara City Council in maintaining cleanliness in and around Honiara during the 2023 South Pacific Games. The waste cleaning and collection activities, which have been ongoing since 2009 under its predecessor, the Rapid Employment Project, are set to play a pivotal role. The primary objective of this endeavor is to collect an estimated volume of 15,000 cubic meters of garbage within a 47-day period, commencing on November 1, three weeks before the Games commence. This initiative will require a total of 7,000 labor days, carried out by a workforce of 250-280 paid workers, who will be sourced from a pool of successful trainees from the Training and Support Services (TSS) component. This approach allows for short-term, paid employment opportunities for CAUSE beneficiaries hailing from vulnerable communities.
The success of this operation is further made feasible through logistics support provided by CAUSE-MID (Component 2), which enhances waste disposal capacity by providing additional manpower and equipment. These resources are designed to complement the existing fleet of garbage compactors managed by the HCC Waste Management and Control Division.
The photos below show the deployment schedule of cleaners and the newly delivered PE waste bins that will be used by garbage collection teams within the 11km stretch of main thoroughfares.
The First Preparation Mission for the CAUSE successor project is currently underway. The mission is jointly led by Sonya Woo (Program Leader, Sustainable Development and Task Team Leader, TTL) and Ifeta Smajic (Senior Social Development Specialist and Co-TTL). They are supported by a comprehensive team of World Bank experts, including specialists in Financial Management, Procurement, Operations, Training, Engineering, Social Development, Urban Development, Economics, Management Information Systems (MIS), and Environmental and Social Development.
One of the mission’s core activities is the presentation of the CAUSE Impact Evaluation Results, a pivotal study that underpins the decision to move forward with the current project into the next phase of intervention.
The survey analysis and results were presented by Darian Naidoo, a World Bank Economist based in Sydney. The presentation drew a diverse audience, including members of the CAUSE team, the consultants tasked to do the surveys, and representatives from key stakeholders such as the Honiara City Council (HCC), the Ministry of Infrastructure Development (MID), the provincial governments of Guadalcanal, Western, and Malaita, the Ministry of Provincial Government and Institutional Strengthening (MPGIS), the Ministry of Finance and Treasury (MoFT), the Ministry of National Planning and Development Coordination (MNPDC), the Ministry of Lands, Housing, and Survey (MLHS), as well as representatives from the Australian and New Zealand High Commissions, UN Habitat, and UN Women. In addition, support groups including LASI and provincial town councils were also invited to participate.
The CAUSE Project plans to feature a series of articles on the survey results in upcoming editions of the Newsletter.
Sub-project Roundup:
White River Market
The construction of the White River Market is progressing well, with the roofing almost complete. It is noteworthy that the workers assigned to this construction project have gained experience in a more complicated activities that differ from the usual construction tasks, which primarily involve constructing footpaths and Jacobs ladders. The future CAUSE intervention aims to explore the possibility of formalizing this skill development process to enable deserving workers to advance to higher skill levels by simply recognizing their improved capacity through a laddered skill development checklist process.
Public Spaces Beautification (Painting) activities (HCC)
The painting works of the HCC Headquarters is nearing completion with the building requiring finishing touch-ups. The remaining scope would be to paint the plant boxes surrounding the building.
Euka Road SID contractor conducted a rubbish collection and disposal this week. This activity is a special work item for CAUSE civil works contractors to help keep the city clean and green for the Pacific Games 2023.
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
“One day, I can become an engineer.”New Skills for New Opportunities
Lionel Seth
CAUSE ISDT Graduate
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