NEWSPAGE 15 October
2010

(Photo: Su’a William Sio)

(Photo: Samoa Observer)

SAMOA: Proud coach salutes heroes
Source: Samoa Observer

Victorious weightlifting coach Tuaopepe Jerry Wallwork can finally take a breather. After coaching three athletes to a record haul of three gold medals in the Commonwealth Games, the man behind the athletes is looking forward to a break.

“Yes it’s all over now and what a relief,” he told the Samoa Observer. “It’s been a hectic past six months.”

But the sweetness of three gold medals, the first for Samoa at the Commonwealth Games, has made it all worth it. Fa’avae Faauliuli won Samoa’s first gold on Saturday followed by siblings Ele and Niusila Opeloge on Sunday.

“As a coach, it is the proudest and happiest time of my years in sport,” he said.

“There’s nothing more rewarding then seeing your athletes perform and fight to the end. I always say to my athletes, it doesn’t matter to me if you don’t win a medal but as long as they perform a personal best and fight to the end and not give up. This is very important for all athletes in all sports.”

Tuaopepe said Fa’avae surprised a lot of people.

“He lifted really well and fought with a lot of heart,” the coach said. “No one expected him to win a gold medal but I quietly had faith in him and I was confident he has put in the hard training and commitment. He made us proud and I’m sure made his family very proud.”

Ele, he said, performed with confidence and power as expected.

“She was too good and in a different league from her competitors, breaking Commonwealth records and producing a personal best total.

“Ele was the superstar of the tournament. She has worked hard and deserves the gold medal.”
Niusila, however, gave his coach a fright.

“I had to calm him down,” Tuaopepe said after he failed his first two snatches.

“He’s always a fighter so I had faith he will lift the 3rd attempt. There were a lot of tactics with the coaches at the back. I was confident even he was behind in the snatch but Niusila had a strong clean n Jerk similar to most of our team. Fa’avae also the same case we had a strong clean n jerk and gave us an advantage to chase and catch.”

“This is a great win for Niusila, after everything he has been through he deserves the gold medal. I always had faith in him because he is a committed lifter and a fierce fighter during competition. He never says die and that’s what champions are made of.”

Tuaopepe said his team was looking forward to coming home on this weekend.

“I would like to thank Samoa mo le tapuaiga [for their support], I thank our families who have stood by us and supported us as we prepared over the years, and we look forward to meeting up with them soon.” 

Photo Caption: Niusila nails his third attempt to secure gold.
 

(Photo: Fili Sagapolutele / Samoa News)

AMERICAN SAMOA: RUS Programs award American Samoa Power Authority
Source: American Samoa Power Authority Press Release

American Samoa Power Authority Chief Executive Officer, Andra Samoa, announced in a meeting of the Board of Directors and Management that “The RUS obligated two grants for the ASPA on September 29, 2010 in response to ASPA’s request for emergency assistance to help recovery from the 2009 earthquake and tsunami. Two award letters from the RUS Administrator, Jonathan Adelstein informed the ASPA CEO that under the State Bulk Fuel Revolving Fund Grant program, a total of $2 million was to support the ASPA revolving funds to improve the cost effectiveness of fuel purchases for communities where fuel cannot be delivered by surface transportation. The other award letter was for a total of $1,135,000 under the High Energy Cost Program to fund the ASPA Waste to Energy Plant Project Development and Site Preparation project.”

Ms. Samoa said that “the ASPA teamwork approach with the support of the Governor, the Board and the many federal partners during the time of recovery made it possible for the team to brainstorm and review various federal grant programs that will help with the critical need of ASPA. The two critical needs that the team came up with was in the fuel and Waste to Energy projects”


Revolving Fund

The revolving fund will help the ASPA to purchase and replenish fuel for the American Samoa Power Authority. The grant will help ASPA with both cash flow and the cost of fuel. Susana Fai’ivae, the Chief Financial Officer, added that “the ASPA is further studying possibilities for ‘leveraging’ the grants by prepaying parts or the whole of the fuel shipment.“ Joachim Fong, ASPA Manager of Engineering Service Division said that “this is history for the ASPA management since never before have we applied for and received a bulk fuel revolving fund grant and finding out that ASPA is an eligible participant in this program. For many years, other places, such as Alaska had received this funding opportunity and yet American Samoa is as remote and underserved as some of the villages in Alaska. This is a real help for American Samoa.”


Waste to Energy

Reno Vivao, the Chief Operations Officer for ASPA, said that “This grant will help the people in American Samoa in several important ways. First, it will create energy out of our waste. This will help to lessen the cost of power which today is 100% reliant on diesel fuel. Second, the Waste to Energy Plant will also create jobs for American Samoans since ASPA will hire an additional 16 people to operate the system. Third, it will also help to reduce the landfill operations since the waste will be diverted to the WtE and not to the landfill.”

Mr. Lafaele, the Project Manager for the Waste to Energy plant, further explained that “ASPA will be issuing a Request for Proposal (RFP) for companies throughout the world to plan, engineer, and build a waste to energy facility. We will ultimately select a company that will deliver the best solution for American Samoa. Concurrently, we will be seeking financing and after the issuance of a Notice to Proceed, we will be initiating the permitting for the building. This is a large and complex project. But if we are successful, it will help lessen greenhouse gases and help to lessen the cost of electricity and solid waste collections.”

In hearing of the awards, Asaua Fuimaono, Chairman of the Board of Directors expressed his appreciation and said that “I want to thank Andra Samoa, our CEO, for taking the lead in discussing the grant opportunities with the High Energy Cost program of the U.S. Department of Agriculture, Cheri Maea, the Fuel Division Manager, and Susana Fai’ivae, our CFO, for helping to prepare the competitive grant for the fuel revolving fund, and Petero Lafaele and Board member Norman Okamura who helped to prepare the WtE supporting documentation.”

Chairman Fuimaono further said, “I am especially pleased because preparing proposals for competitive grants take a lot of extra effort, and the team that worked on the grant are exempt employees and do not get paid overtime, but try to work on grants because it helps American Samoa.” He reminded the management that “These are not entitlements. Those who have competed for grants know the effort that it takes. It is a lot of work. Thank goodness that we have a professional team that knows what they are doing.”

CEO Samoa, in closing the announcement said “I want to sincerely thank Karen Larsen of the U.S. Department of Agriculture for recognizing the needs of American Samoa and for the support and foresight in helping with initiatives that will have long-term benefits to the Territory. Also with the RUS Administrator, Jonathan Adelstein, his trust and support in considering Ms. Larsen’s recommendation to assist us with the recovery process from the 2009 earthquake and tsunami.”

Photo Caption: American Samoa Power Authority Chief Executive Officer, Andra Samoa.
 

FIJI: CROP agencies cooperate on climate change
Source: Pacific Islands Forum Secretariat Press Release

The Chief Executives of the Council of Regional Organisations in the Pacific (CROP) have agreed to renew efforts to work closer together to address regional climate change issues.

At the inaugural CROP Executives Committee Meeting on Climate Change held on 12 October in Nadi, Fiji the Chief Executive Officers of the Pacific Islands Forum Secretariat (PIFS), the Secretariat to the Pacific Regional Environment Programme (SPREP), Forum Fisheries Agency (FFA), University of the South Pacific (USP), South Pacific Tourism Organisation (SPTO), Pacific Islands Applied Geo-science Commission (SOPAC) and the most senior representative on climate change from the Secretariat of the Pacific Community (SPC), met to discuss how their respective agencies could work closer together to support country efforts to address the impact of climate change. The meeting was co-chaired by the Secretary General of the Forum Secretariat and the Director of SPREP.

“As stated by Leaders at their most recent meeting in Vanuatu in August this year, climate change is clearly the greatest challenge of our time and will impact on all aspects of life in the Pacific,” said Tuiloma Neroni Slade, Secretary General of the Pacific Islands Forum Secretariat and the co-chair of the meeting.

“Leaders directed that CROP Agencies renew their efforts to support Pacific Island Countries better tackle the impacts of climate change. This meeting reflects the commitment by CROP Heads to finding more effective ways to coordinate our efforts to meet the serious challenge posed by climate change,” said Mr Slade.

The meeting was also an opportunity to talk strategy and pool our efforts prior to major regional and international meetings to be held over the next three months, including the Forum Economic Ministers meeting and the global climate change talks of the Conference of Parties in Mexico.
Mr David Sheppard, Director of SPREP and fellow co-chair, highlighted the importance of the meeting to providing the leadership and direction to the work of CROP Agencies in the region.

“The Committee highlighted the significant challenges facing the region in accessing finance to tackle the impacts of climate change, including the lack of baseline data to support national priorities, lack of capacity at the national level, and the range of development partner approaches and systems,” said Mr Sheppard.

“The Committee also identified a number of very practical steps towards better coordination, including greater joint programming and information sharing, improved communication on delivering advice to Pacific island countries and more effective delivery of initiatives to address climate change.”

The CROP Executives discussion is timely given that the Forum Economic Minister meeting in Niue later this month will consider the issue of financing for climate change, followed by the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCC) conference to be held in Cancun, Mexico in late November-early December 2010.
 

(Photo: Fiji Times)

KIRIBATI: The little things matter
Source: Fiji Times

She had a talent to compose plays and dramas, skits with a little message to the storyline, and doesn't see herself as a prominent person. She hails from the Island of Kiribati and had a chance to put some of her talented ideas to work at a few stage performances. One day her little messages and dramas caught the attention of an organisation that cared for children and people with disabilities.

Terubeimea Nabetari, 43, said she never hesitated when she was asked by the Society for People with Disabilities to share her talent and teach children and adults at the centre.

Mrs Nabetari, a mother of five children said she discovered the young ones at the society had a lot of talent. She said she's heard people say a number of times that children with disabilities have the potential to learn and do more, but it wasn't until she actually spent more time with them that it really registered.

"They do have so much talent and all they need is our assistance to teach them, they reminded me that its the little things that matter," she said.

"I'm from the capital of Kiribati, Tarawa. In 2002 I found my talent for composing dramas and skits."

"We don't just put up a show, but these little dramas and skits are built around important messages that correspond with our culture, our land, life, way of living, the good and the bad and other issues related to us as human beings. It wasn't well known but small time. Mrs Nabetari said some people she knew approached her for assistance to teach children and people with disabilities. She accepted and her regular visits to the centre sparked a relationship that grew to the stage where she drop everything she was doing at the time to joined the society as a fulltime volunteer.

Four years has past since then and today Mrs Nabetari is here visiting Fiji to attend the regional training on eliminating violence against women at Studio 6 in Suva. She represented the people with disabilities in Kiribati and other regional women and male advocates to broaden their minds on the laws of humanity and justice.

"I was selected to join the delegation to Fiji," she said. "The workshop is not specifically on violence against women but branches out to dwell on other aspects of life we face everyday in our communities.

She said there was an old Kiribati tradition on fixed marriage where the boy's family would approach the girl's family for her hand in marriage, this is called Te Kabutiman. Another is betrothing, where in Kiribati marriages are arranged from as early as childhood and the two eventually became a couple when they get old. This was done for security reasons and to live a happy life. On another scale, Mrs Nabetari said there was an undeniable stigma in societies that discourages marriage with physically disabled person."

"I mean lets be realistic, not every parent would condone their sweet little girl or boy to be married to a person with one leg or an arm," she said.

However, she said those days are long gone, In Kiribati marriage is by choice even though some people still practice the old tradition, Mrs Nabetari said the ancient but respected customary marriage ritual still had an influence in their culture and adds fuel to the fiery stigma that continues to burn the freedom of men or women with disabilities.

"So we've made a proposal seeking our government's assistance to help us voice the fact that people with disability have the equal freedom to marry and are not restricted by blindness, deaf and mute and other disabilities," she said.

"If you think the consequences are too great, I would say living is a life and death situation and every marriage is open to great consequences no matter how much money you have," she said.

It's happening, and as societies change, we will continue to make noise so our presence is heard. Mrs Nabetari said she would stay with her organisation and teach them every thing she could, until her time on this earth is complete. "My advice to the Pacific is to remember that the little things matter, don't be led astray and forget about them," she said. "Help the blind man or woman on the street finding it hard to get around, these are the little things, remember we all share this space we call earth."

Photo Caption: Terubeimea Nabetari.
 

WORLDWIDE: Forum Island Countries establish business links with China
Source: Pacific Islands Forum Secretariat Press Release

Private sector representatives from the Pacific region returned from Shanghai recently with new business connections to China developed during the inaugural “China-Forum Island Countries Trade and Investment Symposium,” an initiative of the Pacific Islands Forum Secretariat together with its Beijing Trade Office.

The Symposium coincided with the Shanghai World Expo and brought together Pacific island and Chinese businesses with the aim of strengthening trade and economic cooperation.

“The Shanghai World Expo provided Pacific island countries with a unique opportunity to promote trade and investment to Chinese buyers and investors” said Tuiloma Neroni Slade, Secretary General of the Pacific Islands Forum Secretariat.

“We are grateful for the support provided by the Government of the People’s Republic of China that resulted in this highly successful Trade and Investment Symposium.”

The Symposium was attended by 21 businesses from Samoa, Papua New Guinea, Kiribati, Fiji, Vanuatu, Tonga, Tuvalu, Solomon Islands, Cook Island and Niue representing a range of industries, from tourism related resource development, agriculture, garment, marine resources, and forestry as well as officers from the investment promotion agencies and members of the Pacific Islands diplomatic corps based in Beijing and Shanghai.

Close to 120 Chinese businesses including manufacturers, distributors and investors representing a diverse range of industries including aquaculture farming & processing, timber processing, tourism resource development, commercial property development and management, building materials, renewable energy equipment, textiles, agriculture and investment management attended the one day symposium. It was followed by two days of business-to-business discussions with Pacific island company representatives.

The Pacific Island Forum Secretariat’s Beijing-based Trade Representative Sam Savou led the development of the Symposium.

“The Symposium was an opportunity for the private sector in both the Pacific and China to contribute to the sustainable economic development of the Pacific region,” Mr Savou said.

“It created opportunities for exporters and investors to build closer ties and we have already seen positive financial outcomes for businesses in a number of Pacific island countries as a result of this Symposium.

“It has been extremely successful in promoting stronger economic ties between Pacific island countries and China,” said Mr Savou.

He added: “Some of these early outcomes from the Symposium have been establishing a buyer for Niue Noni and the placement of orders for renewable energy for off-grid micro power supply. The compatibility of these complete micro-solar power kits with the Pacific Islands is its ‘micro’ size, relative low cost and easy set-up.”

There are also three scheduled business delegations to the Pacific Islands later this year as follow-up to discussions with Pacific Island counterparts. A group from Tianjin with interests in fisheries and aquaculture will visit Kiribati in October, a delegation from the Sanmen County Government will visit Fiji in November and a delegation from Shanghai with interests in jewelry among other things will visit the Cook Islands. “

All the Pacific Island delegates have follow-ups from the business-to-business meeting with Chinese counterparts and this will be managed by them directly with the assistance of the Beijing Trade Office where applicable.

Mr Savou added “Feedback from delegates from both the Pacific Islands and China have been constructive, positive and very supportive of similar targeted symposiums being organized in the future on a regular basis to further enhance mutual understanding and economic cooperation between the two sides.”