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(Photos: Creative NZ / NUS) |
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NEW ZEALAND: Pacific
visual artists invited to apply for Creative New
Zealand
Source:
Creative New Zealand Press
Release
The Pacific Arts Committee of Creative New
Zealand, in partnership with The National
University of Samoa, is calling for applications
from artists to undertake a residency at The
National University of Samoa in Apia, Samoa.
The residency is for a period of three months
(mid August 2008 - mid November 2008) and is
open to all established visual artists of
Pacific Islands heritage resident in New
Zealand.
The closing date for applications is 5pm Friday
16 May 2008.
The artform focus of this year's residency is
visual arts. The Pacific Arts Committee will
offer the selected resident an artist's stipend,
accommodation and travel costs.
The 2008 residency aims to benefit both the
selected artist and the Samoan arts community.
It also aims to:
* provide an opportunity for an established New
Zealand-based Pacific artist to interact and
share his/her skills with the Samoan arts
community
* encourage the development of visual arts
skills among local school students, Samoan
artists and the wider community
* provide the selected resident with security of
income and access to resources, thus supporting
the artist to gain professional development and
develop a new body of work
* support the artist to market his/her work
outside New Zealand.
The residency, which this year is open to visual
artists, is an opportunity for artists across
different artforms wanting to perform, exhibit
or undertake research projects in Samoa. In 2006
the focus was performing arts and Nathaniel Lees
was the recipient. Creative New Zealand sees
this residency as an important component of our
commitment to invest in New Zealand Pacific
communities strengthening and building cultural
identity through the arts.
Photo Caption:
The Pacific Arts Committee of Creative New Zealand, in partnership
with The National University of Samoa, is calling for applications from
artists to undertake a residency at The National University of Samoa in
Apia, Samoa.
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(Photos: Samoa International Cricket Association) |
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SAMOA: Underdogs claim
first victory in senior men’s cricket
competition
Source:
Samoa International
Cricket Association
The senior men’s cricket competition just got
interesting. Now at the half way mark of the
season, six teams are battling it out to secure
a finals birth in five weeks time. Only the top
four teams will qualify, and at the moment it
could be anyone of the six teams to win the
premiership.
Last Saturday’s matches saw two upsets in the
competition. The first one was between Sunshine
who have been sitting a close second on the
ladder just below the Tornados. Sunshine took on
the Scouts, who have only played one other game
this season. They certainly came out to play on
Saturday though. Winning the toss and electing
to bat, the Scouts were all out for 57 runs,
leaving the Sunshine players quietly confident
of yet another win. The Scouts fought hard as
they harassed the Sunshine line up. Villie Malo
demolished Sunshine finishing with 7 wickets. An
undefeated Sunshine could not build a strong
partnership and were all out for 55 runs,
leaving the Scouts with their first game/win of
the season.
The second upset was on the other side of the
Garden Cricket Ovals. Top of the ladder,
Tornados were up against a keen and new team to
the competition, Hope. After being beaten in the
first few rounds, Hope was looking to turn their
luck around. Hope won the toss and elected to
bat. The Tornados looked to demolish Hope,
having them 3 wickets for 2 runs in the first
over. To the credit of newbies, they settled
down and capped off 87 runs off 20 overs before
being bowled out. Opening bowler for the
Tornados Lautala finished with 8/15 off eight
overs. Frank Griffin and Frank Whickam were the
only hope the Tornados had of clinching victory,
scoring 32 runs between them. Between them they
equalled the top scorer for the day, Mr. S.
Undries who finished on 32 runs. The Tornados
were dismissed one run short and gave Hope their
first win.
On the third oval the Phantoms took on the
Wanderers. International player Kaushik Patel
made his debut for the Wanderers, top scoring
with 30 runs after being the victim of an
unlucky run out. The batsman hit the ball
straight back at the stumps and the bowler
managed to get a finger to the ball, catching
Mr. Patel out by mere centimetres. The Wanderers
scored 111 runs from 27 overs before being
bowled out. The Phantoms looked comfortable from
the start, with an opening partnership of 30
runs. Skipper Geoff Clarke continued his good
form, leading the Phantoms with 31 runs not out.
The Phantoms passed their target in the 24th
over with six wickets in hand.
Next week’s matches:
• Scouts V Hope (Ground 1)
• Tornados V Wanderers (Ground 2)
• Sunshine V Phantoms (Ground 3)
LADDER - ROUND 5
TEAM POINTS BONUS TOTAL %
Tornados 26 18.27 44.38 2.17
Sunshine 26 13.6 39.6 2.21
Phantoms 22 15.14 37.26 1.15
Hope 22 13.8 35.8 0.29
Wanderers 18 14.42 32.42 0.59
Scouts 16 2.67 18.67 1.03
Photo Caption:
Phantoms captain Geoff Clarke ready to hit another boundary;
Wanderers captain Sone Taisala attacks the batters with his pace;
Tornados captian Frank Griffin celebrates a slips catch.
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(Photos: Asian Development bank / Australia Government) |
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AUSTRALIA: The government of Australia and
the Asian Development bank
Source:
Australia High Commisson
The Government of Australia and the Asian
Development Bank (ADB) are piloting an
innovative mechanism to support power sector
reforms in Samoa.
The ADB has approved a financing package to
support the Electric Power Corporation’s (EPC)
8-year investment plan to improve the
reliability and security of power supply. The
investment plan is accompanied by power sector
reforms to ensure that the investments benefit
end-consumers.
Under the financing package, ADB will provide a
loan to Samoa, while the Government of
Australia, through its international aid agency
AusAID, will provide grant resources under a
“loan buy down mechanism” in support of agreed
reforms in the power sector. As Samoa adopts
these critical reforms, the Australian grant
will be used to ‘buy down’ part of the Samoan
project debt.
“ADB with the Australian Government are pioneers
in using the loan buy down mechanism, which is a
unique opportunity for countries like Samoa to
access financial resources at highly attractive
terms upon implementation of key reforms,” said
Philip Erquiaga, Director General of ADB’s
Pacific Department.
The Government of Australia has committed
financing of A$ 4 million under the loan buy
down mechanism. The funds will be invested by
ADB until a series of reform measures have been
achieved in Samoa, after which the loan buy down
will be triggered. Under the agreed terms of the
buy-down, the specific reform measures will be
achieved by the end of 2012.
“Australia together with its development
partners is committed to promoting good
governance, transparency and reform in the power
sector, and the loan buy down system is an
excellent vehicle to help ensure these goals
will be achieved.” said Matt Anderson,
Australian High Commissioner to Samoa.
“The project will also promote renewable energy
and conservation and reform the power sector to
give more sustainable and affordable electricity
services to all consumers,” Mr Anderson said.
As the Australian Government and ADB pilot the
loan buy down mechanism in Samoa, opportunities
to expand it to promote good governance and
reforms, in other ADB projects in the region,
are being explored.
The Government of Samoa has embarked on critical
reforms to improve the quality of power services
to consumers in Samoa. The reforms aim at
improving the operational efficiency and
financial performance of the government-owned
Electric Power Corporation (EPC), and
establishing effective price and technical
regulations to promote transparency,
contestability and private sector participation.
The Government of Samoa, with the support of ADB,
will also seek to promote the development of
clean energy resources and energy conservation.
Photo Caption:
“ADB with the Australian Government are pioneers in using the loan
buy down mechanism, which is a unique
opportunity for countries like Samoa to access
financial resources at highly attractive terms
upon implementation of key reforms,” said Philip
Erquiaga, Director General of ADB’s Pacific
Department.
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(Photos: eventpolynesia.com) |
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AROUND THE WORLD:
Western Union foundation boosts financial
education
Source:
Western Union Money
Transfer
The Western Union Foundation today announced
more than 60 new grants worth more than $1.5
million under the Western Union Our World, Our
Familysm Program aimed at improving the lives of
migrants and their families. The contributions
will aid diverse causes, from providing
financial education to Pacific Islanders
dependent on remittances to delivering
humanitarian aid and assistance for Kenyans
impacted by post-election violence. These
projects and others in this grant cycle are
united by one key theme: creating economic
opportunity at home, regardless of where home
might be.
Western Union’s Our World, Our Familysm
initiative is framed around four pillars or
areas of focus: Our World Gives; Our World
Learns; Our World Strives; and Our World Speaks.
Each pillar receives equal attention and is
designed to address the needs and challenges of
the world’s migrant population. Our World
Strives seeks to provide support in the areas of
entrepreneurship and personal finance and to
increase opportunity for migrants in their home
countries or wherever they are in the world,
helping to make migration a choice rather than a
necessity.
In the Pacific Islands, a grant to the
Foundation for Development Cooperation will
provide poor, remittance-receiving households
with access to financial information which will
help them optimize how they use the hard-earned
funds sent by their loved ones. Designed to
increase financial literacy and create long-term
economic opportunity and stability, the
materials will be translated into five local
languages, including Samoan, Tongan, Hindi,
Tetun and the native Fijian dialect.
“Around the world, millions of people have to
leave their homes and their families in search
of greater economic opportunity,” said Luella
Chavez D’Angelo, President, the Western Union
Foundation. “Every day, Western Union hears from
these people and sees first-hand the hardships
they face. Through the Western Union Our World,
Our Familysm program and the Our World Strives
pillar, we hope to honor these sacrifices by
creating opportunities in the home countries of
these immigrants so that perhaps the next
generation will see migration as only one of
many solutions available to them as they strive
to improve their fortunes and those of their
loved ones.”
Other projects sponsored under Our World, Our
Family in the first quarter include:
• In Ghana, a grant to the All Trust Foundation
of Ghana to help train teenage mothers to set up
their own businesses and generate income to
support themselves and their families.
• In India, contributions to Humana People to
People and Save the Children to provide
vocational training for underprivileged women
and youth.
• In Mexico, World Vision's Frontera Norte
Project to partner with residents along the
U.S./Mexico border to create a network of
healthy, productive communities to increase
local capacities through improving employment
skills and entrepreneurial abilities.
• In the United States, grants to the African
Business Alliance in Georgia and the Immigration
Development Center in North Dakota to provide
training in economic development and
entrepreneurship
These are just a few of the many worthy projects
supported by The Western Union Our World, Our
Familysm program. For more information on Our
World, Our Familysm or on individual grants,
please visit the Foundation’s Website at
www.westernunion.com/foundation.
Photo Caption:
Western Union Money Transfer Regional Manager Prichard Denis with
Anarosa Molio'o. Prichard & Anarosa with Western Union Monday Transfer
winners of their Postcard-USA Return to Sender, its the WU in Samoa's
latest promotion.
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PAPUA NEW GUINEA: Papua New Guinea's National
Research Institute To Monitor
Source:
Kaiser Daily
Papua New Guinea's Department of Health recently
gave the country's National Research Institute
the authority to begin a three-year program that
will monitor and study the behavior of people
living with HIV/AIDS, Papua New Guinea's The
National reports. NRI and the health department
on Tuesday signed a memorandum that stated that
the beginning of the project will be carried out
by the institute, The National reports.
As part of the three million kinas, or about
$1.1 million, program, NRI will establish an
HIV/AIDS behavior office and begin behavioral
surveillance research. According to researchers,
the information gathered will be incorporated
into the National HIV/AIDS and Sexually
Transmitted Infections Surveillance Plan
2008-2010. According to The National, the Asian
Development Bank has given half of the funding
needed, while the other half will be secured
from other donors. The program will cost about
$417,000 annually, The National reports.
Health Secretary Clement Malau said the data
gathered from the research will aid in the
department's decision-making processes, as well
as in the implementation of campaigns against
HIV/AIDS and other STIs. He added that it is
crucial for the health department to make its
decisions based on evidence. NRI Director Thomas
Webster said the research aims to document the
behavior related to how people think and respond
to HIV/AIDS. He added that NRI looks forward to
the support from the health department and hopes
to carry out more awareness in writing,
research, seminars and various media outlets
(The National, 4/16).
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(Photos: Photo Supplied) |
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SOLOMON ISLANDS: Launch of the Health
Sector Support Program
Source:
Solomon Islands
The Solomon Islands Government has begun
implementing a sector wide approach for the
health sector to markedly improve health service
delivery and achieve the Millenium Development
Goals for health.
The Hon. Johnson Koli, Minister of Health and
Australian High Commissioner Peter Hooton joined
representatives from the World Bank, UNICEF, WHO
and UNFPA, at the National Conference where the
Health Sector Support Program was launched and a
"Partnership Arrangement" signed between the
Solomon Islands Government and donors in the
health sector.
"The Program brings together donors to the
health sector in a more harmonized, integrated
effort to support the National Health Strategic
Plan," Minister Koli said.
"The objectives are to raise service
p[erformance, improve the long term inancial
sustainability of public services, and improve
the management of the health system over the
period of 2008-2012 and beyond."
Development partner support will be provided
through the budget support or through activities
that align with Solomon Islands Government
priorities in the health sector.
The hope is that by aligning behind a common set
of objectives, in this case the National Health
Strategic Plan, Government and donors work
towards achieving the same goals.
"This is the first time Australia has provided
budget support to Solomon Islands," Mr.Hooton
said.
"Australia is pleased that the funding will be
used to support the health agenda of the Solomon
Islands Government through the National Health
Strategic Plan."
"This shared approach to the health sector has
potential to help the Solomon Islands towards
achieving the Millenium Development Goals for
health such as reducing maternal and child
mortality and combating malaria and other
diseases," said Mr. Hooton.
Australia is one of the lead donors to the
Solomon Islands health sector, providing nearly
SBD$400 million (AUD$60 million) over five years
to the Health Sector Support Program. The
funding will be used to support improved service
delivery and long-term institutional reform in
the Solomon Islands health sector.
Other donors, such as the World Bank, will
initially provide inputs that complement the
program's priorities.
Photo Caption:
Funding
will be used to support the health agenda of the Solomon Islands
Government: Australian High Commissioner to Solomon Islands, Peter
Hooton.
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