Church leaders from five main denominations in Honiara can now explain and share the importance and benefits of immunisation with their congregations following a one-day immunisation workshop held in Honiara.
The immunisation workshop was organised by the Adventist Development and Relief Agency (ADRA) Solomon Islands through its Demand Generation for Immunisation in Solomon Islands (DGISI) project which was funded by UNICEF.
The workshop was held on Thursday, April 24, at the CAM Conference Room, Mataniko Plaza in Central Honiara.
Around 24 representatives from the Roman Catholic Church, South Sea Evangelical Church (SSEC), United Church of Solomon Islands (UCSI), Anglican Church of Melanesia (ACOM), and the Seventh-day Adventist Church (SDA) attended the workshop.
Facilitators included the Deputy Director of the Health Promotion Division at the Ministry of Health and Medical Services (MHMS)Anne Toncan, the National Immunisation Coordinator at MHMS, Jennifer Anga, private medical doctor Divi Ogaoga, DGISI Project Manager Sharon Kele, and UNICEF Immunisation Specialist Shaza Ahmed.
The aim of the workshop was to engage church leaders in promoting improved immunisation within their congregations and communities, under the theme “Protect Every Child through Immunisation: Engaging with Faith Leaders.”
Speaking at the official opening of the workshop, ADRA Solomon Islands Country Director, Leyn Elizer Gantare shared a short thought which he said that that health is very important as written in the Bible that the Body is the Temple of the Holy Ghost which he quoted from 1 Corinthians 6:19,20.
“I encourage all of you here to bring back the result of the orientation during the workshop for the healthiness of all of your Church Members,’’Mr Gantare concluded.
Meanwhile, Reverend Superintendent Minister of the United Church in Honiara, Mr. Amos Kube, thanked ADRA for organising the workshop and UNICEF for their funding support.
“This workshop is an eye-opener for us UC members. We don’t have a structured health department within our local churches to talk about immunisation. Normally, only those of us in office roles are familiar with this knowledge,” he said.
“But now, after this workshop, we’ll work towards raising awareness, planning health activities, and establishing a health committee to collaborate with the Ministry of Health,” Kube added.
Father John Roroi from St. Barnabas Cathedral Parish shared during the closing session that they intend to work closely with their church health office to start immunisation awareness programs.
“After listening to the presentations, we plan to advise our health office to meet with church leaders and begin information-sharing sessions during Sunday services, targeting mothers, parents, and youth,” Father Roroi said.
SSEC National Health Coordinator Harold Buka highlighted the importance of the workshop for his denomination:
“We’ll discuss this immunisation initiative with our leadership and plan to incorporate it into the SSEC Health Setting Program’’
“Building a strong partnership with the MHMS Immunisation Department is now one of our key goals,” Buka shared.
SDA Pastor for East Honiara District and Burns Creek Church, Maebule Tome, also expressed gratitude:
“This workshop reminded us of the importance of immunisation. As SDA churches usually run health programs, we plan to integrate immunisation awareness into our upcoming district events,” Pastor Tome said.
Father Peter Kevin of the Roman Catholic Holy Cross Cathedral added that although implementing immunisation programs within the church may present challenges, they are committed to the initiative.
“We need to address the root causes, but we are planning consultations with church authorities to integrate immunisation into our existing health plans”
“We also seek moral and technical support from the Ministry of Health,” he said.
ADRA Solomon Islands, through its DGISI project, is currently implementing immunisation demand generation activities across three islands in Western Province—Kolobanagara, South Vella, and Roviana Lagoon.
The project began in November 2024 and is scheduled to conclude in September 2025, with funding support from UNICEF.
– ADRA
Photo caption: Church leaders including MHMS and ADRA team pose for group photo during the immunisation workshop at CAM Conference Room, China Town Plaza in Central Honiara.
