Archive - Apr 18, 2012

Sometimes we are asked to do stuff, be it helping clean a yard, wash a truck or build a cubby house. Well in this case I have been asked to put together a bibliography of events that have transpired over the last 23 years on Lapita Plantation. It is more a need to create awareness for others involved with investing in Vanuatu and the complications and frustrations that have arisen, directly as a result of the lack of communication between the various organizations that are the key parts of the frame work that investors must push thru to make it all work in Vanuatu.

Food is changing in rural communities.  Families are eating more rice, tin fish and sweet biscuits.  Is this a sign of development?

Long ol rural komuniti, kakae emi stap jenis.  Ol famle oli stap kakae raes, tinfis mo swit biskit.  Emia emi wan saen blong soem se divelopmen i stap gohed?

A participant from the Australian Government funded TVET Centre coordinated business management trainings is now using the skills gained to help the women of her village manager their finances.

After her training, 23-year old Anessa Kaloris set up a savings and loans association group called Gortien which means ‘unity’ in the local language of north east Malekula. Six months after the establishment of Gortien the membership now has 40 members, all mothers from Annessa’s village Pinalum.

The Lenakel Town Municipal Women’s Council (LTMWC) has successfully organized a one day voluntary cleanup of the “Blackman Town” of Lenakel Thursday last week.

Around 100 women came together to offer voluntarily their share in the cleanup campaign. This cleanup campaign is in direct response to the Lenakel Town Municipal Council appeal to the citizens and the ordinary public to take pride in their little rural town and put their hands together to build it to become a home and a place for everyone.

A first ever meat hygiene and quality training was organized by Livestock and quarantine department in Tafea Province with assistance from various stakeholders such as Lenakel Municipality, Butchery Association, and Livestock Farmers Associations.

The three-day workshop was hosted by Nimak Butchery Association in Lekout Village Community in West Tanna.

More than 20 participants from 10 butcheries operating in Lenakel town including managers and butchers attended this workshop.

Director or Livestock and Quarantine Services Benuel Tarilongi has welcomed supportive remarks from the newly appointed Chairman of the Public Service Commission, Holi Simon, for the Department’s plan to corporatise the Quarantine Service into Biosecurity Vanuatu from next year.

The Chairman spoke in favour of corporatisation but warned that all Departments in the Government must not “compete against each other but complement each other”.

Director Tarilongi said every Department serves only one company and that is the Public Service.

The Utilities Regulatory Authority (Authority) is pleased to announce the publication of its Electricity Prepayment Meter System Position Paper March 2012.

The paper seeks comments on issues raised by the Authority that include among other things:

UNELCO’s implementation of the existing prepayment tariff and rules applied in Tanna and Malekula;

UNELCO’s implementation of a tranche based tariff and the tariff adjustments as part of a prepayment meter system, and how it would affect customer’s ability to manage their budget;

As many were resting and enjoying family time on the Easter weekend, MPs Ralph Regenvanu and David Abel were leading a delegation including chiefs and other members of the Vanuatu Indigenous Descendants Association in participating in an historic conference in Bundaberg to establish a national body in Australia to represent the interests of Australian South Sea Islanders (the descendants of ni-Vanuatu and Solomon Islanders “blackbirded” in the late 1800’s to work in the sugarcane and cotton plantations of Australia).