Opening of the BWF new building - photograph

As promised, here is a photograph from the opening of the Bougainville Women's Federation new building. The BWF office is on the upper level and the cafe at ground level.

Click here to read a speech by Hona Holan, Founding President of BWF, at the opening. Hona outlined the stages of the project from the time it was first proposed in 2013, including the many people and organisations whose support was engaged.

One of the important motivations for the building was to provide clean, safe public toilets and shower for women and their children, some of whom travel long distances to the market.  The cafe will provide a safe place for women to market vendors and visitors to relax, purchase healthy food, and get support and information in a friendly atmosphere. No such facilities previously existed in Buka town: these will make a great difference to women coming to Buka town and to the market.

The cafe, and other activities in the building, will also provide an income stream to cover costs of maintaining the building, and will provide opportunities for local women to learn useful skills in running small businesses.

Congratulations to BWF on the completion of this project. It's a great example of how people working in their own communities can come up with creative and resourceful  plans, and bring them successfully to fruition.

Funds to complete the Resource Centre: GoFundMe campaign

I posted a couple of days ago about the HWC's urgent need for some funds to help with completion of the Resource Centre. I have now set up an online account to help with making donations. If you would like to donate, please go to gofundme.com/6ur2aces .

Launch of the Bougainville Women's Federation building and cafe

On 10 February 2016 the Bougainville Women's Federation (BWF) new building at Buka town was formally opened by Natasha Stott-Despoja, Australian Ambassador for Women and Girls.

I have been promised some photographs, but there have been technical and communications problems. In the meantime, you can read about the history of BWF and the project here. Further information about BWF is available here.

Help needed!

HWC has been working hard on the various programs, but has run into some problems recently with money and banks. In a phone call from Marilyn in Buka yesterday morning, much interrupted by poor reception in rainy weather ( in Buka and Sydney) I heard that HWC is in urgent need of around $5000 to pay for work done on the Resource Centre and some other immediate expenses.

If you would like to donate, please go to gofundme.com/6ur2aces .

Rethinking economic focus to prevent future conflict

An interesting article by Catherine Wilson has been published by Inter-Press Service (IPS) about some of the pressures facing Pacific nations in seeking to establish stable societies developing in a sustainable way. The article notes the risks to stability and underlying issues that remain unresolved, including 'inequality, land disputes, fragile governance and youth unemployment', and particularly notes the problems associated with the extractive industries (mining), corruption and land ownership.

The article refers to the particular risks for nations that have experienced civil war and acknowledges the work of HWC on practical reconciliation at grassroots level, including comments by the HWC President, Dorcas Gano: 'We live in a very tolerant and peaceful community where everyone has chosen to live above the situation, but underneath the surface there is frozen trauma….Relatives don’t mention the mass graves in town covered by new infrastructure or the beatings and near deaths during interrogations. We are working quietly alongside other leaders to negotiate reconciliation in these matters.'

The article also quotes Dame Meg Taylor, Secretary-General of the Pacific Islands Forum Secretariat who 'believes that ensuring sustainable peace and development also depends on “a structural shift in the development paradigm.” That is, rethinking the extractive economic focus, which has failed to alleviate hardship and inequality, and seeking one that will build fair and prosperous Pacific Island societies, the best insurance against future conflict.'

To read the full article, click on the title:
 Peaceful Decade but Pacific Islanders Warn Against Complacency by Catherine Wilson