Dear Editor – The Malaita provincial youth coordinator, Francis Samo, yesterday wrote in the media that the provincial youth office in Auki was looking at ways to help unemployed local youths with meaningful economic programmes.
Mr Samo said in 2017 he will be trying to help young people in the rural areas of the province in small scale economic enterprises.
He pronounced that a start would be made with engaging with young people in Auki and then commence a pilot programme for youth development in four regions of the province.
Mr Samo said he was hoping both the provincial government and the DCCG would help because, as he put it, 60 percent of youths in Malaita are isolated and not involved in any activity, programmes or projects to advance their situation.
He voiced the view that that the youths must become involved in work such as growing crops to provide them with some income.
I wish Mr Samo success in his initiative to help the large number of unemployed young people in Malaita province and hope funding will be provided to support his project ideals.
This week a young man from Malaita wrote to me with a project proposal he had brilliantly put together to aid combat climate change, grow seedlings, re-introduce trees, protect and preserve the environment and provide work for the people of his community, including the locally unemployed young people.
I was at a loss to give him a lead as to where he could acquire backing and financial support of about S$250,000 to kick start his 6 month project and I could only advise him to approach several of the Solomon Islands traditional donor partners, including the Government of Korea that has expressed interest in aiding the SIG with re-planting the depleted forests.
I mention his case because without in any way wishing to detract from the initiative being put forward by Mr Samo, there are young people in Malaita, and indeed throughout the Solomons, that need to contribute to their livelihoods and the nation in far more creative ways than traditional crop cultivation and we must seek to find them, encourage their enterprising ideas and give them the individual educational tuition and financial support they need to advance their ideas for the benefit of many.
Frank Short
Bangkok, Thailand
