BY GEORGINA KEKEA APART from felling trees and exporting logs and timber, there are other lucrative ways to make money says Stanley Wapot Program Manager Sustainable Development of the MSG Secretariat.  Wapot says countries like Solomon Islands and Papua New Guinea can earn money in the tourism sector, like their fellow MSG members Vanuatu and Fiji.   Recently Wapot was in Honiara for a consultation with stakeholders and Forest agencies to discuss how they can work together to protect the country’s forest. Wapot with fellow colleagues from MSG & SPREP  Currently MSG Secretariat is exploring options to partner with members in supporting livelihood-oriented community initiatives towards local, national and global objectives on forest protection. Wapot says the Secretariat believes that Forests of Melanesia are vital natural asset that supports the livelihoods of the majority of the people who are rural based subsistence farmers. But while the pro...

BY GEORGINA KEKEA BELAHA School in Central Guadalcanal is located in one of the lucrative spot of royalty. In Guadalcanal, people from Central Guadalcanal are said to be one of the prime beneficiaries of monies from operations through mining, logging, gravel but to name a few.  Belaha school children Host to Belaha School, the status of the school itself does not reflect a school that comes from such background.  With more than 300 students ranging from Early Childhood, Primary to Secondary, Belaha is one of the many schools in Guadalcanal that still practice open-defecation and also faces deregistration.  School Principal Francis Labu says Belaha School is a long way to meet the WASH Standards set by Ministry of Education and Human Resources Development (MEHRD).  He said the recent launched WASH standard calls for greater cooperation from the schools. “We do not really have the support from our parents as one would expect. Probably becaus...

BY GEORGINA KEKEA  JAKARTA is the capital and largest city of Indonesia. Located on the northwest coast of the world’s most populous island Java, it is said to be the center of economics, culture and politics of Indonesia. As of 2014 the population in Jakarta is said to be 10 million. The city is currently the seat of the ASEAN Secretariat and attracts migrants from all over the Indonesian archipelago. It is said to be the ‘melting pot’ of many communities and cultures. The commonality between Jakarta and Honiara is the high population and different cultures and traditions from people from different background and ethnicity. But the most visible difference between the two cities is the state of the environment. For a busy city with 10 million people, Jakarta is by far a clean city and one hardly see plastic or rubbish on the streets. With millions of people scurrying through and fro daily, it is amazing to see that no one litter the streets nor can one see ...

BY GEORGINA KEKEA In Bali, Indonesia ONE of the famous sea temples in Indonesia is in Bali. Tanah Lot Temple is one of seven temples and is said to give protection to the Island. One of the most sacred places in Bali, it is not accessible to visitors but reserved for pilgrimage only.  In the Balinese language, Tanah Lot means 'land in the sea'. "Normally the tourists come here to see the sunset only. Coz next is the Indian ocean", says tour guide Nu Luh Kusuma Dewi. Dewi says tourists attraction also includes offering to a Holy man for holy water. "It is for cleaning the body and said to be good for health". The Holy man is someone in Hinduism who has renounced the worldly life and follows a path of spiritual discipline.  "They hold a temple ceremony and they are the ones who blessed the water. You want holy water they bless it for you and you give them offering", Dewi says. Another attraction for the tourists i...