BY ESTHER NURIA
SOLOMON Women Newspaper last week on Friday 15th is fortunate to interview one of the Female Community Helper, Ms. Betsy Hadosaia from South East Guadalcanal, Avu Avu ward, Namoku Village.
Ms. Betsy is a form six leaver, who has been doing her upgrades at University of South Pacific (USP) Campus here in Honiara.
Apart from doing her studies Betsy has been involving in community work. The community programs that she did at her ward was being a volunteer for Kastom garden financing literacy in communities and agricultural tasks.
Through her community involvement, she applied to RDP training, Community Facilitation Project Support Program (CFPSP) and got accepted. And here is what Ms. Hadosaia understands through the four weeks training on CFPSP.
Solomon Women Newspaper (SWN): Why do you choose to attend the training?
Betsy Hadosaia (BH): Why I attended the workshop is I have been chosen, because of the community based work that I got involved in. Not only I have other busy schedules lining up for me back at my community, but I choose to come because of the privilege given to me, as one of the accepted member. And I know and believe that when I go back, I will help my community in what I learn through theory and practical training.
SWN: What are some of the important things that you have seen through the workshop?
BH: There are lots of important things I have seen through the workshop. But one of the main important things I have seen through the workshop is; things that communities need. And it is a chance for communities based in rural areas that have not receive assistance, this project will help them. And through government support and aid donor support that allocated for rural areas, they will have access to such project and it will benefit them.
SWN: What do you learn so far through the training?
BH: Now that the program has ended; through the training I learn a lot of things through sharing, not only one of the new thing I learnt is that gender equality must be exist in families and communities. This is because individuals make up families and families make up communities. I therefore totally believe that when I go back to rural areas, I will involve women in discussions for implementations of projects through government projects, NGO’s and Aid Donor projects. Not I would do my best to get chiefs and elders in the communities to understand the role women and youth have in the implementation of community development. Because only a woman knows what family needs are; because without a woman there will be no home. Therefore in order to balance it, we needed voices from both men and women to balance everything. Involvement of woman is very important.
SWN: Back in your village, are women being given equal opportunity to men in decision making?
BH: Back at my home, people do not see gender equality as important. And even though as you might hear in our cultural context as women are landowners, but for our women and girls to have leadership role back in our communities it does not exist. Yet Man are like landowners, therefore our women tend to live in confusion, is it as to take up the landownership or men? But in rightful way it supposed to be us females. But all this does not exist in our communities, why? Because men tend to see us female in doing household jobs and etc. But when the gender equality comes in, women are then included to have their voices heard. Therefore I believe that when I go back I would teach my people to understand that gender equality is important very important in community development.
SWN: Any final comments you wish to share with our readers?
BH: In development is not a one man business, it’s everybody’s business. Therefore it means both male and female must be included development settings of any village or community. And not all women given the equal opportunity as men.
