12 January 2012

Taro Island, Choiseul Province, Solomon Islands: This year, the Honourable Jackson Kiloe, Premier of Choiseul Province in the Solomon Islands, launched Internet services and a public telephone on Taro Island on 5 December, International Volunteer Day. With these communication facilities, the remote Taro Airport Terminal became the first and only airport in the Solomon Islands to provide Internet, public telephone and top-up services.

The IVD launch, which also marked the tenth anniversary of the International Year of Volunteers, was no accident.  Progress in improving services and community development has been due to the long term involvement of UNV and its volunteers in the region.

This time, the upgraded communication services were due in large part to the initiative and persistence of UN Volunteer Raj Krishna Shreshta from Nepal.

When Raj assumed his assignment in June as UNV Provincial Government Adviser with the Provincial Government Strengthening Project (PGSP) on Taro Island, he could wait from hours to days to open a single email.

“Although I am not an IT professional, I believe IT makes the difference in development in the twenty-first century,” Raj said. And so, in addition to acquiring Internet use for himself at his office, Raj set about thinking about and researching how to make Choiseul Province a leader in IT.

His enquiries resulted in the upgrade of the airport’s Internet facilities for which the Solomon Islands Department of Civil Aviation and PGSP, Raj’s project of assignment, provided financial assistance.

IVD provided the perfect occasion to mark such an important intervention to support community development in a remote area of the Solomon Islands like Taro Island.

As part of the IVD festivities, Raj showed everyone how to make a fish curry, which was then shared by all.  His cooking class introduced both a new way for Solomon Islanders to prepare local foods, and for many the new example of a man cooking.

“IVD is the best day to communicate innovative information to the local community,” said Raj.  “We pass on the message that volunteerism is being celebrated around the globe, so they will know the importance of volunteerism.”

With its Internet launch and gender balancing cooking demo, IVD 2011 on Taro Island clearly depicted the confluence of volunteerism and development that UNV is all about.