Making a difference – more women trained with life skills

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More women from Tina River catchment communities are attending a four-day life-skills which commenced on Tuesday at Mataruka village. A total of 35 women from Malatoha and Belaha in Central Guadalcanal will take part in training which forms a part of the Gender Action Plan (GAP) for the Tina River Hydropower Development Project (TRHDP). In the rural communities of Solomon Island, women often struggle with limited job opportunities. To address this, GAP is providing resources and up-skilling women to help earn a modest living and help financially support their family. Gender-Community Liaison Officer for TRHDP, Helen Dolaiano speaking to the …

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18 bore holes now drilled for CBSP water systems to start construction

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A woman from the community accessing water line to her home area. Bore hole drilling for the Community Benefit Sharing Project (CBSP) water systems are now complete with the last 3 water bores holes at Belaha finished this week.  A total of 18 holes have been drilled ready for the system construction which will benefit approximately 40 communities from Bahomea, Malatoha, Mataruka and Belaha. Next week, construction on the water systems will commence at Tina village, Rate Community High School, Horohotu 3 and Aretakiki with materials being delivered over the coming days. The entire construction program to build 18 systems will …

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CBSP’s PET reaches target of 300 participants

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The TRHDP’s Community Benefit Share Project (CBSP) has reached its target milestone of 300 people participating in Pre-Employment Training (PET) as the 11th and final group attended sessions last week. The PET program has been an ongoing element of component three’s Human Resource Development which also includes vocational and technical training programs. These programs, which started back in 2020, have helped members of communities in the Project catchment be trained and equipped to access the employment and other future opportunities. CBSP Coordinator Francis Kapini described the wrap up of PET as a significant achievement for the Project and communities. “Despite many …

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First in country mission for Tina financier in 2 years

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A delegation of Lenders flew into Honiara last week, marking the first face to face supervised Lenders mission for the Tina River Hydropower Development Project since prior to COVID-19 and the closing of international borders. Representatives from the World bank (WB), Asian Development Bank (ADB), Korea Eximbank (EDCF), Australia Infrastructure Fund for the Pacific, (AIFFP), Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade ( DFAT) of the Australia Government spent from the 1st to 15th of July in Honiara and the Tina catchment areas on the supervision Mission to check on the progress for implementation of the Project. For the last two years, the …

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CPSP’s second batch of sponsored SINU students start classes

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Tina River Hydropower Project Office CBSP Coordinator and Officer along with Pasifiki HR and students from project catchment communities. The second group of sponsored students from the Tina River Hydropower Development Project catchment has commenced various courses at the Solomon Islands National University (SINU) as a part of the Community Benefit Sharing Project (CBSP) partnership. A total of 34 students, 12 males, and 22 females, are enrolled in various courses such as Electrical Trades, Heavy Plant Mechanic), Hospitality courses, and Tropical Agriculture and Environmental studies. Additional courses have also been added to cater to those unable to finish Form 6 or …

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Tina WASH program gains momentum

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Borehole drilling for water supply at the Tina River Hydropower project communities. Work at Bahomea communities is currently underway as the Community Benefit Sharing Project (CBSP) makes a significant push forward to provide locals clean and reliable water supplies under the Water Supply Program.  Water Supply works for Horohotu 1-3, Tina and surrounding areas, Marava, Ngongoti, Verakabikabi, Vatupaua, Areatakiki, Rate Community High School, all located within Bahomea , have commenced and are at various stages of completion. The systems, funded and coordinated by the CBSP for the Tina River Hydro Development Project (TRHDP), range from borehole systems to those tapped from natural …

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GAP team inspects Tina Campsite Facilities

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GAP Officer, Helen chatting with female employees of the Tina River Hydropower project. The campsite that will house workers and staff for the Tina River Hydropower Development Project (TRHDP) has been inspected in a first audit by the Gender Team from the Project Office. The visit was led by the TRHDP Gender Officer and a team from Tina Hydropower Limited (THL) and Hyundai Engineering Company (HEC) to determine whether female workers have safe and accessible facilities on the campsite and at the Project’s construction site at Garivera, Central Guadalcanal.GAP Gender Officer Helen Dolaiano with other staff inspecting the campsite.According to …

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CBSP/SINU sponsored students share valuable feedback

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Students through the Community Benefit Share Project, in collaboration with the Solomon Islands National University (CBSP/ SINU), completed a formal evaluation with Pasifiki HR and the CBSP team this week in Honiara. The first group of sponsored students through the Community Benefit Share Project, in collaboration with the Solomon Islands National University (CBSP/ SINU), completed a formal evaluation with Pasifiki HR and the CBSP team this week in Honiara. The University partnership with the Tina River Hydropower Development Project aims to train students from catchment communities and is a part of the Government’s commitment to building capacity and up-skilling locals …

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CBSP/SINU trade students in the field for practical work

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For their practical component, two electrical students are currently working with Solomon Power’s 11KV extension powerline Project from Black Post to several Tina communities. They are assisting with the wiring of residences to allow for access to electricity. Morris Roni, a father of two children from Pao in the Belaha community of Central Guadalcanal, is one of the students in the SINU program.  He has been amazed at how much he has learnt while working with Solomon Power, commenting that the entire experience has been an eye-opener. “I’m quite excited. Becoming an Electrician is my dream job and it’s thrilling …

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Tina Hydro marks International Women’s Day  

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Women in the Tina River Hydropower Project catchment communities came together this week to celebrate International Women’s Day. They spend time discussing and acknowledging the significant progress made to improve gender equality for rural women thanks to the Gender Action Plan (GAP) initiatives. Working with the community for over 2 years, the Project’sGender Action Plan team have regularly run activities for both women and men to promote equal opportunities and provide information on how to participate in and receive project benefits. This persistent effort despite recent challenges with COVID-19, continues to encourage women to participate in and benefit from this …

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TINA keeps moving with the implementation of COVID safe plan

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COVID Safe Management Plans for the Tina River Hydropower Development Project (TRHDP) have beenactivated as a result of the recent community transmission outbreak plaguing the country. The plans, created in 2021 by Tina Hydro Limited (THL), Hyundai Engineering Company (HEC) are helping to guide leaders and officials who are working tirelessly to implement measures to protect the National Project during these uncertain times. The activated plan forms a part of the Community Health and Disease Vector Management Plan (CHDVMP) and is one of a series of Environmental and Social Management Plans (ESMPs) that have been developed by the Project Company …

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Agricultural training to reap benefits for Belaha Community

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In the rural setting of Lungga, members of the Belaha Community are currently attending a series of Agriculture Short Training courses as part of the Community Benefit Sharing Project’s (CBSP) Technical and Vocational Education and Training Component. The tailored courses, which will run over 3 days, are designed to upskill locals in the Tina catchment with a focus in the agriculture sector to be job ready for any future opportunities to earn income from farming. The workshops, which are open to all benefit share communities and will eventually train all eligible members, will cover topics such as nursery production, compost training, …

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SIG supports landowner partnership on Tina Project as a new way forward for local business

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The Buhugaro Tribe, one of the five landowning groups of the Tina Core Land Owning Company (TCLC), have purchased a new vehicle for commercial use as part of a partnership agreement with the Solomon Islands Government’s Ministry of Mines, Energy and Rural Electrification (MMERE) and the Tina River Hydro Project Office’s Community Benefit Sharing Project (CBSP). The vehicle, which costs more than $400,000 SBD, is currently being leased to the CBSP team for 14 months and is a great example of the Project taking community ideas on-board following consultations with landowning tribes during the Project’s preparation phase back in 2010. During …

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Team work on the Water Supply Project makes a dream come true

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Traveling long distances to fetch clean water will soon be a thing of the past for the people of Marava, Ngongoti and Valele communities in Central Guadalcanal with the installation of the first water supply system now underway. The system, which is funded and coordinated by the Community Benefit Sharing Project (CBSP) for the Tina River Hydro Development Project (TRHDP), comprises a network of distribution pipes carrying water from a determined natural water source to storage tanks and then onto communities. In a first of its kind for the region, the system is powered by solar energy to move water …

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Health and Hygiene Awareness for Tina Communities

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A three-day community Health and Hygiene awareness program has been completed in communities in the Mbahomea region of Central Guadalcanal.  The session were a part of the Gender Action Plan (GAP) initiative for the Tina River Hydro Development Project which has been running for the past 2 years alongside the preparation phase of the larger Project. GAP is in place to promote equal opportunities for both women and men to participate and receive projects benefits and continues to provide opportunities for women, in particular, to be involved with and be positively impacted by this nation-building project. Women and young girls in …

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CBSP’s WASH Project will start soon

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A one-day pre-construction consultation for a new Community Benefit Sharing Project (CBSP)water delivery system was held yesterday for community members of Ngongoti, Marava andValele in the Bahomea district of Central Guadalcanal. The construction and installation of the community water infrastructure, officially known asthe Water Supply and Sanitation Project (WASH), is a subcomponent of the Community BenefitSharing Program (CBSP) to provide water supply to eligible villages in the Tina catchmentcommunities. Construction will include a network of pipes to carry the water from the source anddistributed to communities. The objective of the consultation was to help participants understandhow the water system will work. …

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Signing Ceremony will light up Bahomea Communities

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The Tina River Hydropower Development Project is delivering more power to the people in Central Guadalcanal after the official green light was given today for a 11lkV high voltage (HV) extension and 415V low voltage (LV) distribution network at a signing ceremony in Honiara. Communities will soon see their homes light up thanks to the much- anticipated Community Benefit Sharing Project (CBSP) which sees construction of a HV extension and LV distribution network running along the 9km road from Black Post leading up to the Tina community in the Bahomea Region. The signing of the formal collaboration agreement between the …

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CBSP supports 15 young people from the Tina River Communities to further education at SINU

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The Tina River Hydropower Development Project has partnered with the Solomon Islands National University (SINU) to enroll 15 students from the Tina River communities to upskill and train locals under the Community Benefit Sharing Program (CBSP). Starting next week and continuing into 2022/23, the students will be trained in certificate and diploma courses in fields such as Electrical, Plumbing, Business, Survey, Carpentry and Joinery, Environmental, Automotive Engineering and Secretarial studies. In a first-of-its-kind extension program, the students were identified and selected after attending the CBSP’s Pre-Employment Training which was made available to eligible members of the Tina communities. PET training …

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Tina Hydro PET training hits a new milestone

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Attending the Community Benefit Sharing Project (CBSP) Pre-Employment Training (PET) has given 40-year-old Salome Matesaia from Tina Village an opportunity to become employed. Mrs. Matesaia is one of the early participants who joined the first PET training in April this year. Currently, 152 eligible individuals from the Tina River catchment communities have taken part in this program and have trained to be job-ready for the Project construction phase. She described the training as an opportunity to assist people in the community to find ways to earn money for themselves. “I am employed, by Hyundai Engineering Co. Limited (HEC) on the Tina River Hydro …

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Tina Hydro gets the green light

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In a historic moment for the Solomon Islands, the Tina River Hydropower Development Project has overcome its last major hurdle before construction can finally commence on the much-anticipated SBD1.5 billion renewable energy project. It has been a long and challenging journey for the flagship project with the preparatory and planning phase spanning over a decade. After a year of drafting by the Project’s holding company Tina Hydro Ltd. (THL) and its construction partner Hyundai Engineering Company (HEC), Environmental and Social Safeguard Management Plans (ESMPs) were approved by financiers last week, overcoming the last major hurdle before work can finally commence. With …

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