I’m not sure if I have mentioned it to you, but the guest house I live in is also run as a training centre. Judith is a teacher at one of the local high schools and Masoud looks after the guest house. Since I have arrived there have been big changes and renovations going on: new bathrooms, an outside kitchen is being built, they run training restaurants for the high school kids, church groups and a garden that just keeps on giving (mangoes, papaws, bananas, star fruits, limes, vegies). It’s a great place to live, never without a dull moment. Unfortunately, it seems to be targeted by thieves with washing and furniture being stolen. Even my washing powder from the sink side! So, a large fence is to be constructed which I think, is a real shame. But that’s not the story I wish to tell.

Recently, they have taken on 4 youth@work students for an 18 week internship. This is an initiative which pretty much does what it says on the tin. They also run an entrepreneurship program in which a select group of “youths” are given 2 weeks training and $2,000 SBD (about 330 AUD and 200 GBP) in order to expand or start their own business. It’s a fantastic idea and there is a lot of money behind it but what it seems to lack is organisation, planning and on-going support. Needles to say, many businesses fail to thrive or collapse shortly after they are started. The programme apparently ran for 3 years on a neighbouring island without success. There appears to be little or no evaluation of the programme with very few lessons learnt in the process. So this is how Masoud’s week went: Monday morning, he had four youth@work interns start. Monday afternoon he was asked if he would be interested in delivering the two weeks training. Tuesday morning he was told that 22 youths would be turning up on Wednesday. Welcome to the Solomon Islanders world of business.

So, the guesthouse is indeed a busy, busy place at the moment. I come home to business plans and chalk boards scattered around the living area. I just wanted to share this with you. Masoud had asked the young budding entrepreneurs what they would like to have achieved in the following twelve months and here are some of the replies: 25 new piglets, 2 new fishing lines, to expand the house by 5 metres and happy customers. No worries.

I have been asked to set up a system to assess nurse competency in Malaita. The nursing competencies were introduced in 2015 and it appears that there is no consensus about what is to be done from here. So they think that I am the one to do it. I am unsure if I am over thinking things (which I do, a lot) but I believe that this is a pretty important task, and one which should be decided at a national level, not by me. So I went to Honiara to try and find some answers. I met with some people from the Ministry of Health and Management Services, they had no idea. I met with a nice man who ran the nursing administration department, he had no idea. I met with the dean of the university, she had some idea of who might have an idea and I met with a lovely lady from the nursing council and hurrah! She had a few idea’s. Here is what I found out: there is no plan, it has yet to be discussed and decided, this will not happen this year and no, it is not my responsibility. Did I get what I came for? Who knows? At least I can go back and hopefully get stuck into some clinical teaching, something I know a little about.

In other news, last weekend I attended the prestigious Coconut Olympics. This is an annual event in which the expats of Honiara get together at the beach, drink copious amounts of beer and play various games involving coconuts. 

 Needles to say, despite a few injuries, a good time was had by all. At the after party, the games continued long into the night with beer- pong, synchronised swimming events and an epic dance off. 

Slightly broken on Sunday we headed out to an amazing beach where we sank a few beers and floated around on rubber rings. I know, rolling with the punches

Next week is a trip oop north to stay in a local village, hopefully some R and R mixed in with a spot of health promotion. With no power, mobile reception and basic sanitation it should be an interesting time. If I make the 6 hour journey through the night on a dirt road with ten of us in the tray of a ute, that is. Character building 😉