Solomon Islands Floods – One Year On: World Vision Continues Community Recovery

One year after flash flooding in Honiara and Guadalcanal Plains left 22 people dead and some 9,000 people homeless and with gardens and livelihoods destroyed, World Vision continues to assist people in the most affected communities.

World Vision helped more than 26,000 people in the immediate aftermath of the disaster and continues to help through on-going projects in Guadalcanal Plains and Weathercoast on the eastern part of the province.

World Vision has helped families get their lives back to normal through relief and longer-term recovery projects. The recovery projects focused on children’s development and protection, empowering women through life skills development, providing access to clean water, proper sanitation and improved hygiene practices, and providing livelihood kits and support to assist families rebuild their food gardens and other forms of income-generating activities.

The Child Friendly Space project, set up by World Vision following the floods, has transformed the lives of children and touched the hearts of parents and guardians. More than 760 children from 10 Child Friendly Spaces have recovered from the emotional and psychological effects of the disaster.

“I love going to school because I have lots of friends and I learned new things every day,” six year old Lisa said.

Another project ‘The Women Friendly Spaces’ project also set up by World Vision after the April 3 floods has provided an opportunity for elder women in Guadalcanal Plains to transfer indigenous skills and knowledge to younger women and has proved a space where new friendships were formed. More than 1,200 women have benefitted from Women Friendly Spaces in 10 communities in Guadalcanal Plains.

Both projects have ended in October 2014.

“Recovery projects on Child Friendly Spaces and Women Friendly Spaces were completed in October 2014 and the  water supply, sanitation and hygiene (WASH) project in March 2015. A livelihoods project will continue in the Guadalcanal Plains and a Health & Hygiene project will continue in Weathercoast as World Vision’s commitment to meeting the needs of the people affected by the flooding,” said Brooks Dodge, Operations Manager, World Vision Solomon Islands.

The WASH Recovery project has benefited approximately 10,000 people in Honiara and over 30 communities of Malango, Ghaobata and Tandai wards in Guadalcanal Plains. The project built a total of 258 toilets for the communities and additional rain water catchment tanks for 15 communities.

“The NDMO is grateful to World Vision for their quick response to the disaster, their hard work during the initial response with the distribution of essential items and their on-going support for communities affected by the flash flood,” said Loti Yates, Director NDMO.

“You (World Vision) have done exceptionally well and NDMO is satisfied with your work. We also appreciate the good relationship between the two organisations and would like that to be maintained and continued,” added Mr. Yates.

Some 52,000 people were affected by the flood and thousands of homes and livelihoods were destroyed and lives lost following the disaster on 3 April.

World Vision’s response was supported by the generosity of many donors including Australian Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade, United Kingdom Department for International Development European Union, UNICEF, UNDP, International Cooperation and Development Fund of Taiwan and New Zealand Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Trade to support its relief efforts.