NEWSPAGE 10 January
2011

(Photo: Martin Hautus Institute)

NEW ZEALAND: Labour Party leader Hon Phil Goff visits Martin Hautus Institute

(Photos: United Nations Development Programme)

SAMOA: UNDP assists the Salei’a community
Source: United Nations Development Programme Press Release

In the run-up to the New Year, the villagers of Salei’a, had more than the festive season to celebrate. With the support of the team from the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP)/Global Environment Fund (GEF) Community-Based Adaptation (CBA) project, women and men, young and old from the village gathered to celebrate and gear up their collective actions and responsibility for their own development while increasing their resiliency to the impacts of climate change.

Agriculture and fishing are the main income and livelihood sources for the coastal village of 700 inhabitants. Since the 1990’s, climate change impacts such as flooding, storms and coastal erosion have affected the coastline and destroyed seaward homes. The increasing intensity of rainfall has brought regular flash flooding in the area, damaging homes along the stream pathway, and siltation of the coral reef leading to coral degradation and ultimately smaller fish catches. The clearing of the watershed area for plantations and livestock farms has also exacerbated the climate-induced flooding problems. Both the livelihoods and the ecosystems including coral reefs and mixed herbaceous coastal marsh surrounding the village and the neighboring Avao and Vaipouli are threatened. Climate change projects for Samoa paint an even grimmer picture with rising sea level and increased intensity of tropical storms, cyclones and rainfall.

Small communities like Salei’a, often the most severely affected by climate-driven impacts, are some of the least resourced to cope and adapt. In the face of this and the important resource volunteering can foster, the UNDP-GEF CBA project aims to strengthen community engagement and build resilience of the communities to the adverse effects of climate change. The project, currently being piloted in nine other countries, is supported by the UN Volunteers (UNV) programme and Small Grants Programme (SGP) partners in the field to enhance community engagement, ensure inclusive participation and to value volunteers’ contributions.

As the project’s name suggests, CBA projects strive to be community-based and community-driven. For Salei’a and the neighboring Avao and Vaipouli, the project was initiated in May 2010 through a participatory process, Vulnerability Reduction Assessment (VRA), which involved all sectors of the village. Following these consultations, the project has funded the construction of a 200-metre retention wall to strengthen vegetation barriers and to clear the stream pathway. With co-financing from AusAID and the communities themselves, the project also proposes to rehabilitate coastal marshlands and plant native tree species along the stream pathway. So far, more than 200 trees have been replanted in the flood-prone area.

This second VRA exercise, focusing again on community perceptions, was organized for the Salei’a villagers to assess the change made so far by the project. After ensuring the gender balance among the participants, the village mayor started the exercise by recalling the project’s objectives, outcomes and outputs. Participants were then divided into three smaller groups: women, youth and men to allow different voices to be heard. Each group was asked to draw three pictures of the project site: before (how did the village look before the project?), now (how does the village look now that the project has been partially implemented) and future (how will the village look at the end of the project?). Each group then fed back their discussions to the main group. Participants were subsequently asked to score their vulnerability and capacities to adapt to climate change risks based on their individual perceptions. The results were then presented against the VRA baseline data and scores that had been collected in May.

The scoring result, a positive 33% change from the first VRA scores, as well as testimony from the group discussions all suggest that the project investment is paying off. “Although we haven’t experienced any major flooding this year, we are very confident that the rock wall and redirection of the steam would be able to safeguard our properties against any flash flood”, said Soonafai Oipuas who is in her 70s as she proudly presented the drawings and highlights of the women’s group discussion.

Not only did the exercise reflect increased awareness among the participants in climate-driven risks, the benefits of the project to the village environment and livelihoods were consistently highlighted. Some groups even suggested collective activities and community mobilization beyond the project cycle.

“Albert Einstein once said, ‘not everything that counts can be measured and not everything that can be measured counts’. We are also interested to hear about how volunteering has been a powerful means to engage ordinary villagers in tackling their own community development challenges and how volunteering can encourage inclusion and contribute to CBA project’s sustainability”, said Richard Crichton, UNV programme associate for Samoa’s CBA project.

VRA is only one of the monitoring and evaluation tools that CBA projects across the globe are practicing. Observing the VRA in Salei’a, Adeline Aubry, UNV global volunteerism and CBA specialist added, “Monitoring and evaluation for locally-driven adaptation is still a new field. We are trying out different approaches to capturing disaggregated data by for example gender, age, people with special needs, to not only assess the project’s success but also to draw lessons to inform our practices. As a volunteer myself and part of the global team that initiated the CBA projects, I’m very encouraged by what I saw today. There is still much to do to take monitoring and evaluation seriously. But we’re very excited to continue working with the communities for more inclusive and accountable means to plan, implement and measure development successes.“

For more information about UNDP Community-Based Adaptation projects, visit:

www.undp-adaptation.org/project/cba

For more information about the UN Volunteers programme, visit www.unvolunteers.org
 

(Photo: Office of Congressman Faleomavaega)

AMERICAN SAMOA: Obama invites Faleomavaega to fly back to Washington with him
Source: Office of Congressman Faleomavaega Press Release

Faleomavaega, who has been in American Samoa for the New Year, has announced that President Barack Obama invited him to fly back to Washington, D.C. on Air Force One. The President departed Hawaii on Monday, January 3, 2011 from Hickam Air Force Base. President Obama has been in Hawaii since December 23, 2010 where he has been spending the holidays with family and childhood friends. Riding along with President Obama from Washington was Senator Daniel Akaka and Congresswoman Mazie Hirono.

“Fa’afetai tele to President Obama for giving me a ride back to Washington,” Faleomavaega said. “On behalf of the people of American Samoa, I am honored to fly back with the President of the United States. I especially look forward to talking to President Obama about the outsize sacrifice of our military men and women, as well as where we are in recovery efforts after the 2009 tsunami. I also hope to discuss our economic development and issues affecting the Asia Pacific region.”

“When President Obama was elected in 2008, he inherited an economy on the brink of collapse and a war in Iraq which has cost trillions of dollars. Yet President Obama continues to do all he can to grow the economy which is still fragile. The road to recovery has not been easy for the U.S. or other nations that have also suffered setbacks due to a global recession. But I have every confidence that America will pull through, and this includes the Territories.”

“Once more, I want to thank President Obama for extending an invitation for me to fly back to Washington on Air Force One and, again, I very much look forward to working with him and his Administration as well as my Republican and Democratic colleagues during the 112th Congress. As always, I thank the people of American Samoa for their support and prayers, and I will keep on doing everything I can to move their interests forward,” Faleomavaega concluded.

Photo Caption: President Obama with Congressman Faleomavaega and his wife Hinanui in the White House during a previous invitation of the Congressman and his wife by the President and Mrs. Obama.
 

FIJI: Mobile money transfer proves popular
Source: Fiji Times

Vodafone Fiji has recorded more than 50,000 M-PAiSA money transfer transactions since its launch in June last year, with the value totalling more than $2.5 million.

And this, the country's largest mobile firm says is a significant milestone as it was changing the way people in Fiji, particularly those in rural areas and outlying islands did their transactions.

"It is very quickly filling the void in the market whereby 60 per cent of Fiji's population still did not have access to regular banking and financial services," Vodafone Fiji managing director Aslam Khan said.

"The adoption rate of M-PAiSA demonstrates that the people of Fiji have been waiting for such a service. M-PAiSA now boasts 295,000 registered users which is phenomenal achievement in just six months," he said.

A triple-up recharge promotion is to mark the achievement.

"To celebrate the number and value of transactions milestone through M-PAiSA, Vodafone is happy to announce a triple-up recharge promotion through M-PAiSA available until further notice," Product manager M-PAiSA Shailendra Prasad said.

Mr Prasad said customers who topped up their Vodafone mobile through M-PAiSA for any amount from $5 - $25 would get a triple up on every recharge until further notice.

M-PAiSA provides the ability to send and receive money directly through your Vodafone and Inkk mobile phones.

The service is accessible through 300 plus M-PAiSA Agents Fiji wide, including supermarket chains, service stations, post office outlets, two of the major banks and Vodafone retails outlets.
 

(Photo: Cindy Ellen Russell / Honolulu Star Advertiser)

HAWAII: 'Average' kids helped to excel
Source: Honolulu Star Advertiser

C-average students are something of a gap group in most schools.

Few programs target them. Often, they just slide by.

But more and more Hawaii public schools are looking to change that by adopting a pricey national program aimed at helping middle-of-the-road students do better, dream about college and grasp the tools to get there.

The internationally recognized program is called Advancement Via Individual Determination, or AVID, and it's showing early signs of success in Hawaii schools. Teachers say average students, many of whom come from low-income families, are making big gains in their grades and on tests and that many are setting their sights on higher education.

"We call them a work in progress," said Lee Anne Domingo, an AVID teacher at Washington Middle School, of the seventh- and eighth-graders she teaches. "AVID helps the kids in the middle. It makes them better prepared."

Better prepared for all sorts of things — organizing their schoolwork, focusing on their studies, planning for tests and thinking about the future.

Joanne Khau, an eighth-grade AVID student at Washington Middle, said the program has helped her boost her GPA from 3.0 to 3.8 and has given her more confidence in her most perplexing subject, math.

It has also got her thinking about something else.

"I don't know much about college," she said, as she took a break from an AVID tutoring session on a recent weekday. "I just know I want to get there."

Thanks to successes like Khau's, the AVID program has seen steep growth over the last six years. The first Hawaii school to adopt the program was Campbell High in 2004. In 2008, 32 schools were offering the program to about 1,420 students. This year, there are 7,008 AVID students in 88 schools. And next school year, 103 public schools will have AVID.

The growth of the program, offered as an elective to middle and high school students and as part of the curriculum for students in elementary school, comes as the state is scrambling to meet ambitious graduation and college-entrance goals. The state has pledged to boost its high school graduation rate from 80 percent to 90 percent by 2018, and its college-going rate from 51 percent to 62 percent.

AVID is a program created and licensed to schools by a private nonprofit, similar to Advanced Placement.

It teaches students skills such as organization and time management. It offers tutoring in subjects that students are struggling in. It puts college within reach, by talking about what it takes to get into college, scheduling campus visits and going over details like how to apply for grants and scholarships.

A key element of the program is that students have to want to be in it. They need to apply to get in, sometimes going through an interview process to articulate their goals. Middle and high school students give up other electives, like art or band, for AVID.

Washington Intermediate's AVID classroom is practically a shrine to college aspirations. Pennants from universities across the country hang on strings that run the length of the classroom. More college items hang on the wall and on bulletin boards, amid student work and inspirational messages.

On a recent day there, students were broken up into tutoring groups, preparing for exams or reviewing concepts they were having trouble with.

Jessennya Torres, 13, said at first she wasn't too excited about being in AVID. Her mom urged her to join, she said, so she did. Quickly, she started to see changes, as did her mom.

"In sixth grade, my binder was all messy," Jessennya said. "Now, in AVID, I'm organized, even at home."

Before long, her grades went up, too.

The girl who liked paddling more than school went from getting C's and D's to earning A's and B's.

Paula Samson, Jessennya's mother, said her daughter has made dramatic improvement.

"She's one of those kids who has to work for her grades," Samson said.

And it used to be that Jessennya didn't work for them. Now, Samson said, her daughter comes home and does her homework without being told. She's neat and organized.

"She focuses, and school is actually her priority," Samson said.

Adele Wada, a Department of Education specialist who helps schools implement college awareness and prep programs, said AVID is a good option for schools looking to help average kids aim higher. "AVID's focus is for students to be college- and career-ready," she said. "It gives them the confidence to try."

The program is seeing early successes here.

All of Hawaii's 72 AVID seniors graduated last year, 86 percent took a college placement test, and 77 percent said they planned to go to college.

The growth of AVID locally comes as the program is also seeing considerable growth nationally and internationally. AVID started at one school in 1980, grew to 1,000 schools in 2000, and was in nearly 4,500 schools in 47 states and the District of Columbia as well as 16 countries last year.

For Hawaii schools, the biggest downside to AVID probably is its cost.

AVID requires a weeklong training conference on the mainland for eight teachers, plus licensing fees. Altogether, schools estimate the program costs about $40,000 to adopt in the first year. Some schools also spend that amount in the second and third year as more teachers are trained.

An annual AVID site license costs about $2,000.

To pay for the program, most Hawaii schools have turned to federal funding, some of which appears to be drying up. Some have also relied on help from grants or searched within their own tight school budgets.

Mike Harano, principal of Washington Middle, said AVID might be expensive, but it works for the kids who often don't get extra help.

About 100 of Washington Middle's 800 students are in the program.

"We have programs for our gifted and talented," Harano said. "We have programs for our special-needs kids. The middle kid is ... a forgotten group."

Harano credits AVID in part for big improvements in math scores at the school, and for an overall sea change on campus, from a place with a hard reputation to a school with solid programs and college-aspiring kids.

"For long time, it (Washington Middle) was known as a rough school," Harano said. "But we've really changed that, and AVID helped us do it."

Photo Caption: The Avid program prepares elementary, middle and high school students for college by teaching better study, organization and team skills. Above, Avid tutor Terrina Ching, second from right, coached Washington Middle students, from left, Isaac Lee, 13, Kai Yonashiro, 14, Johyeon Jung, 14, and Iao Seng Sio, 13, on how to solve a mathematical word problem during a class Wednesday morning.
 

(Photo: Oceania Football Confederation)

TAHITI: Tahiti go on goal trail
Source: Oceania Football Confederation Press Release

Tahiti have followed in the footsteps of Fiji by making their ability immediately apparent during the OFC U-17 Championship at North Harbour Stadium. The Fijians hit nine goals yesterday (January 08, 2011) and Tahiti went just one goal worse this afternoon, beating Tonga 8-0 to underline their title credentials.

In the earlier Group B match played today, Solomon Islands emerged as 2-1 winners over New Caledonia after an evenly-matched contest that could have gone either way.

This year’s event is Tonga’s first ever appearance at the OFC U-17 Championship and the Chris Williams-coached side was always going to find the going tough in Auckland. But they would not have expected to be on the receiving end of such an inspired onslaught from Tahiti, who were four goals up within 27 minutes.

The Tahitians’ passing and movement was of the highest order as Tevairoa Tehuritaua, twice, Ahonui Tahi and Tauhiti Keck all got their names on the scoresheet in the first half. Tehuritaua completed his hat-trick in the second spell and added another for good measure, while Tihoni Yohann and substitute Heremana Teikiteepupuni also found the net.

“We asked our boys to keep the ball and they respected what we had told them so that was pleasing to see,” coach Patrice Flaccadori says.

In an ominous sign for Tahiti’s Group B rivals, who include fellow title contenders Solomon Islands and New Caledonia, Flaccadori believes there is still more to come from his young charges and sees no reason why they can’t go all the way.

Tonga coach Williams does not have such lofty goals but still feels his side has much to gain from the tournament.

“It’s about development of players for us,” he says. “Eight of our players are under 15 so they will have had the benefit of coming here already when they go to the next tournament in two years.”

Today’s other clash was far from such a one-sided affair and the points may well have been shared if luck had been a bit more on New Caledonia’s side.

Solomon Islands targetman John Bitiai used his lengthy frame to good effect in the 11th minute when he looped a header over goalkeeper Jordan Usike but New Caledonia drew level just seven minutes later through Thomas Buscaglia. Solomon substitute Atana Fa’arodo gave his side the lead just after half-time but the real drama was to unfold later in the game.

Pressing for an equaliser in the final few minutes, New Caledonia had appeals for a penalty waved away by referee Mike Hester and the play quickly broke to the other end, where Usike was adjudged to have handled outside his area and was sent off.

The dismissal had little effect on the result but means co-coaches Francis Tartas and Herve Gnipate have lost their No 1 goalkeeper for the next match against Cook Islands and it is one they will now be desperate to win.

Solomons Islands boss Chris Asipara was relieved to have come out on the right side of the ledger against an opponent he rates highly.

“We knew that they would be a good side and we expected a lot from them,” he says. “But we played quite well and scored with our best chances of the game.”

The focus switches back to Group A tomorrow when Papua New Guinea take on Fiji at 1.30pm and hosts New Zealand are in action for the first time against Vanuatu from 4pm. Both matches take place on the North Harbour Stadium outer oval.