Dear Editor – Travelling eastward either by boat or by air especially when it takes an arduous 30 hours and around 30 bumpy minutes respectively will definitely take you to Kirakira, Makira Ulawa Province.
An old government station springing in the fifties with just less than 10 residential quarters and a good shady government office Kirakira has over the last 70 years grown somewhat leisurely to now become a provincial headquarters (clustered with its own pressing urban issues) for the Makira Ulawa Province.
The GOVERNMENT OF THE PEOPLE FOR CHANGE AND ADVANCEMENT led by Premier Stanley Siapu came to office in early January 2016 harshly bulldozing CHANGE as a leading platform of dog hound.
Amongst many others, Kirakira town rated highly in its change agenda where uplift as pertinent was to be tackled in adverse of previous attempts of government prominence.
The Executive with strong emphasis of community helm control delivered a robust programme around a proposed vision of “Empowering kirakira to be a vibrant community that values healthy and godly lifestyles” where the government, NGOs, the private sector and all stakeholders playing a supporting role to the community.
Kirakira is no exception when it comes to the onslaught of urbanization but critical is the preparedness one makes to take on that onslaught.
The desired outputs, outcomes and impacts on the life of the Kirakira residents of the programme would be obvious.
The initial Community mobilization triggered Wednesday last week 24th August 2016 when four regional meetings were conducted between the administration and the community regions.
The crucial notion of a community led programme was stressed to the regions, one that holistically addresses the human being in aspects of spiritual upbringing and healthy lifestyles.
Water and sanitation issues would be addressed as the community leads in advances towards managing the Waste in the township and the community is engaged in active sports, religious undertakings thereby shaping, moulding and bringing up the kirakira youth to be good, well charactered and respectable individuals for their own future lives.
The response has been far encouraging than what was anticipated with regions already starting with clean-up activities as a means to start rolling the programme.
Turn outs to work sessions has been purely amazing as tremendous support is so far gaining momentum from individual politicians, churches, government and semi-government and private sector business houses around the township.
It is now the talk of the Kirakira Community that an official launch is to be made by mid-September 2016.
All parties both around, within and outside of the country having interest in such Community led, driven or based programmes is invited to support the kirakira community in its campaign to alleviate the lifestyle of the community and change kirakira into a vibrant community that produces well groomed individuals for our nation of Solomon Islands; allow Kirakira to be a Solomon Islands model for others.
James Taeburi
Provincial Secretary
Makira Ulawa Province
