Outside-in: a volunteer’s reflections on a Solomon Islands community development program

Abstract

"Two different worlds exist in the Solomon Islands: the development world - which, in part, Australia has imposed - and the Solomon Islands world, where Solomon Islanders continue to live regardless. That is how it seemed to me during the 15 months I spent from 2005 to 2007 working as an Australian Youth Ambassador for Development (AYAD) in the Solomon Islands, mainly in the Malaita and Temotu Provinces. This paper attempts to raise questions about how these worlds interact, drawing on my personal experiences working within a community development program funded by AusAID and set up within the Church of Melanesia (COM). The COM is increasingly seen as an institution that can contribute to ‘development’ in the context of a broader peace and state building intervention headed by the Regional Assistance Mission to the Solomon Islands. I describe how this program was negotiated between the church and foreign donors in order to operate and how three prominent terms in development language – peace building, consultation and capacity building translate at the community level. While there are many fashionable buzz words in development, these three were chosen because they were spoken so frequently that I found their meanings became lost to me. Most of the issues I raise here concerning peace building, consultation and capacity building have come directly from Solomon Islanders themselves. Part of the problem with discussions about development is the absence of the voices of Solomon Islanders. While I am conscious of the fact that I am another foreigner writing about the Solomon Islands, I have attempted to include these voices ..." page 1