WATER SECURITY IN RADESIFOLAMAE

RADESIFOLAMAE VILLAGE, MALAITA, SOLOMON ISLANDS

In 2016, Radesifolamae’s water crisis finally came to an end when the Solomon Islands Rural Development Program (RDP) funded the construction of a new water supply.

In previous years, four children in the village had died. Two from falling into the village’s ground well, and two more from diarrhea caused by
unknowingly drinking from the well after it had been contaminated.

Today, every household enjoys easy access to clean water, as a rain catchment system now feeds twenty water tanks shared across the sixty homes in the community.

In addition to preventing further tragedies, the close proximity of a clean water source has dramatically improved day to day life for residents of Radesifolamae.

Mothers, or more often their children, previously traveled 45 minutes by canoe to collect water. The 990-minute roundtrip gave families a difficult choice to make. Either parents would have to take time away from crafting shell money—the primary source of income for Radesifolamae residents—or the kids would have to skip school to fetch water for the family.

Selimina, a mother of two, acknowledged the stark reality she was faced with.

If you don’t have time to make shell money here, there’s no way you can survive

Selimina shared

Selimina’s children frequently missed school, as they were tasked with fetching water while she made shell money to support the family. When Selimina instead fetched the water herself so her kids could attend school, her income dropped. It was a precarious position to be in, and one that she’s relieved to no longer face.

The security that comes with access to clean water has improved the livelihoods of all 102 families in Radesifolamae. With more time to make shell money and less stress over water, mothers are earning more money for their families. Selimina revealed that her monthly income has increased from SI$500 to SI$1,000 per month. Crucially, her children now attend school every day, and village leaders reported that nearly every child attends school on a daily basis.

The new water supply has enhanced income and livelihood development, and has inspired hope amongst Radesifolamae residents for continued growth in the future.