PHAST project ready for next three years in the targeted communities

By Niniu Oligao

SI Red Cross Participatory Hygiene and Sanitation Transformation project, for short, PHAST, is eyeing the most vulnerable communities in the Ghari ward (Weather coast) and Lau Lagoon of North Malaita to work with them in the next three years of the new ‘Tugeda fo Helti Komiuniti Project’ initiative.
According to an interview with Clement Manuri, SIRC Health Awareness officer, his team returned from communities in the Weather coast area over the weekend, and now ready to go to Maluu and surrounding communities for two days of Latrine construction trainings as the tokens of appreciation for their supports in the past years of the Health awareness project. The Health awareness team is made up of SIRC staff, volunteers and a Latrine specialist from Australian Red Cross who has good work related experiences in the Solomon Islands.
“Building of two latrines for demonstration in the Weather coast and similar thing will be done in Maluu, are parts of our exit strategy in the communities we worked with in the past five years”, he said.
Mr. Manuri also highlighted another purpose for his team’s visit to those areas is to eye-mark the new communities which the Tugeda fo Helti Komiuniti project will be working with by the end of September 2008. He said four communities will be selected from Ghari ward and the other four from Lau Lagoon, basing on their level of vulnerability related to health problems.

SIRC Staff & volunteers donated Blood

Drip by drip, a blood donor smiling as she laid down in a bed to donate blood to rescue someone else who would need it in Hospital.

Solomon Islands Red Cross staff and volunteers at the National Headquarters gave blood yestarday during a mobile blood collection by the Referal Hospital Blood Bank team.

Speaking to this site yesterday, Ms Deann (SIRC Blood Donors Recruitment officer) said her team should go to a school yesterday. Unfortunately, the visit to that school was not possible. And the only possibility was to get blood from the local Red Cross people.

She said most of the Red Cross people in Honiara have 'O Blood type' which is a universal donor to anyone who needs blood to survive.

And she thanked those who donated yesterday and encouraged them to give more blood in the future. She assured the donors that it is good to give away old blood cells and to allow the body to create new good blood cells.

Volunteers & staff attended sea life saving training

First Aid (SIRC)- Floating in the afternoon cold sea at the Solomon Islands College school of Marine 12 Solomon Islands Red Cross staff and volunteers in orange life jackets. Those Red Cross personnel lucky to benefit from the local Red Cross' initiative of venturing its First Aid trainings into Life Saving training at sea for its workers.

According to the life saving at sea instructor of the training yesterday, Captain Nestor Rande said the purpose of the training is to prepare the canoe travellers of safety when travelling between islands.

"People need to understand the safety of their lives at sea is very important. Therefore, preparing to take extra fuel, water, foods, sails, paddles, listen to weather forecasts, proper loading of canoe, and not taking alcohol while travelling must not be ignored", he said.

In relation, the participants were very happy with the life saving training. One participant said SI Red Cross has some of the sea safety equipments like flares and life jackets but its workers did not know how to use them properly. The training helped them alot to know how to use the safety equipments during emergency at sea.

The training yesterday was paid for by the Solomon Islands Red Cross and the Australian Red Cross to prepare the local Red Cross skippers for emergency at sea while travelling in out board motor canoes around Guadalcanal and Malaita and between islands to carry out duties.

Blood Donors Recruitment team to Selwyn College

Blood Donor Recruitment (SIRC)- Solomon Islands Red Cross Blood Donors Recruitment team went to Selwyn College with the National Referral Hospital Blood Bank on August 18, 2008.

The collection of blood from both students and staff yesterday was the part of the blood bank initiative to get blood from student-volunteer donors before their end year holidays.

According to the team leader yesterday the blood bank needs more blood in stock because some major operations would be done. And she thanked the donors for their generosity to give their time and blood to save others who needed it.