Bellona Island Community Centre

Bellona (Mungiki) is one of the small, beautiful, isolated islands that form part of Solomon Islands. It is 10km long, has a population of less than 1,000 and sits alongside its neighouring island Rennell (Mugava) about 240km south of Honiara.

Due to it's small size and remoteness there are limited community services on the island. I'm working with some friends from Bellona to apply for funding to build a community centre on the island. The funding can cover building materials and transport costs but cannot be used for tools and consumables. We're launching this fundraiser to help pay for the construction tools that will be used for this project and then kept on the island for future community projects.

This article from late last year is a good overview of the situation on Bellona. While it's tempting to think of climate change as something yet to come and focus on increases in temperature and sea level it's striking to see the massive impact on agriculture that is already occurring and the flow-on impact to health and livelihoods and the ability to stay connected to customs and culture.

https://earthjournalism.net/stories/in-search-of-answers-as-climate-change-ravages-bellona-island-solomon-islands

This UNESCO site gives a good description of the amazing character of Rennell-Bellona Province and the serious threats it faces due to lack of funding, capacity and resources. UNESCO note:

"Future priorities for management of the property include: full implementation of legal and planning provisions; community capacity-building and empowerment for managing projects and natural resources; and increased sources of sustainable funding, including income generation, to improve the standard of living of the traditional owners and enhance their ability to protect the property to World Heritage standards."

This project seeks to build a multi-purpose hall in Ward 07 at the eastern end of Bellona to provide a venue for community, cultural and sporting activities. Currently the island has a clinic and a few schools but no economic or administrative centre. The community centre will be a concrete floored multi-purpose hall the size of a netball court and built to withstand the cyclones that periodically affect the islands. It is designed to be a focus point for the community to bring people together to look after themselves and their island.

Thankyou in advance if you're able to support this project. Stay tuned for more updates!

[photo credit: Tom Perry]