Sikaiana Island is now connected to the outside world

People from Sikaiana residing and working outside of the Island will now be able to communicate with their loved ones back home. This was made possible by the Solomon Islands Government through the Climate Change Division of the Ministry of Environment, Climate Change, Disaster Management and Meteorology. The service is fully prepaid for 36 months commencing March 2024 and will end in March 2027.

This communications system provides internet and telephone services for the Sikaiana Islands residents but more so for the island’s clinic and school. In addition, 2 desktop computers were also provided for the clinic and school respectively as well as a deep fridge and a refrigerator for the clinic to store vaccines and medicines. This system is solely powered by a Solar PV System.

 A multi-sectoral team under the leadership of the National Disaster Management Office (NDMO) visited the Island to conduct a rapid assessment as well as to deliver relief suppliers for the community after the Island was affected by high swell surges earlier this year.

The team is comprised of officers from the climate change division as well as SATSOL and Super Fly who provide the technical support for the construction and setup of the communication system.

This communication system project was initiated in 2020 after a team from the climate change division visited the island to conduct an integrated vulnerability assessment. From the assessment, communication was identified to be one of the main issues faced by the community thus the climate change division included that activity in its development budget for the year after. However, due to logistic difficulties on the island as well as COVID-19, the division was not able to implement the project sooner.

The climate change division acknowledges the support of the NDMO for facilitating the mission which enables the installation of the communication system. Now the community has access to the outside. The system also guarantees the village nurses and teachers are provided with the equipment and the means to make their work more effective and efficient to serve the whole community, ensuring that they are more r resilient.