Solutions pa Marovo

Solutions pa Marovo is a group of devoted, like-minded individuals, performing health and education work in the Solomon Islands. For over 20 years, members of the Solutions family have tirelessly implemented locally appropriate solutions for the isolated Marovo Lagoon population.

We are part of the community and care deeply for our home and our people, so we always maintain a hands-on approach to our primary focus, which is to nurture and develop an understanding of health and education.

The goal of Solutions pa Marovo is to allow members of our community achieve independent personal growth. By making every dollar count, we have achieved much. Ultimately, however, success can only be won with the help of our generous donors.

Education

Like all things Solutions, some our most extraordinary actions originate from the efforts of an individual. The establishment of our Education program is no exception.

Our dear friend Anne Gilbert was an educator. Anne saw through the facades and smoke screens surrounding the big issues of the world and realised they all stemmed from a lack of education. She believed without a confident, well educated population, crucial developmental issues cannot be achieved internally. To start this process, Anne became among the first to sponsor a child in the Marovo. Today this child is the Secretary of Solutions pa Marovo and our best ambassador. In late 2007 Anne was diagnosed with and succumbed to breast cancer. In her final act of generosity and kindness, Anne asked family and friends not to spend anything on flowers or cards, and instead place donations towards the education of the children of the Marovo Lagoon. Anne’s ashes are scattered in Uepi’s lagoon and her legacy lives on. Today, with the support of our generous donors, our education program supports many children in secondary school and some outstanding young adults in tertiary education.

Communities help select the children to receive support, with special preference given to those in particular need, such as having a disabled or deceased parent. Students must maintain or improve academic levels and maintain excellent behavioral standards in order to receive ongoing support.

The cost of educating a secondary student has risen sharply in recent years as Secondary Schools are forced to raise their fees, transport costs escalate and living costs rise. Financial support from the Solomon Government can be erratic and variable.

A higher than average number of Solutions pa Marovo students have been successful and so graduate into the higher years, which attract higher fees and other associated costs. An ever increasing number of Marovo students are now looking to tertiary education which is much more expensive. The decline in the value of the Australian Dollar in recent times has also had an impact. So, as some students stop attending school their financial support is absorbed by the remaining students and we have not been able to fund new secondary students for several years. However, our aim is to fund some new young Secondary students as soon as possible.

Solutions pa Marovo also works within schools to strengthen their teaching capacity. This is achieved through the donation of much needed teaching and research resources, as well as our teacher training program.

The teacher training program was developed and implemented by Kath and Phil Jacobs, another two members of the Solutions family. The program combines qualified teachers from all over the Marovo with international teacher trainers at Konggukolo High School, where a week of interactive workshop addresses areas teachers feel weakest in. Senior educators provide hands on training and support for teachers, some of whom are not formally qualified and almost always under resourced. The program also provides an opportunity for teachers across many schools in the Marovo to come together to share experiences and knowledge.

OUR AIM

To sponsor 400 students

Currently 64 students sponsored

students sponsored by Solutions pa Marovo

OUR AIM

To sponsor 20 tertiary students

Currently 4 tertiary students sponsored to become teachers, accountants, and other professionals.

Education – Success Story

Meet Vanessa, a delightful 20-year-old girl from Sasagana Village in the Marovo Lagoon. Vanessa entered the Solutions education program in 2006 when she began Form 1 (year 7). Vanessa excelled through high school and was a polite and diligent student. As Vanessa approached the end of secondary school, it became apparent her dreams and aspirations were beyond her school’s offering. Unfortunately, as is almost always the case, the cost of pursuing her dreams was far beyond the means of her family.

“I have dreams. To achieve those dreams I need help to continue my studies and one day become a fully qualified accountant. This will allow me to come back and get a good job, so I can help support my family. Then maybe one day I can help support my brother and sisters achieve their dreams.”

Luckily for Vanessa a very special person was about to make her dreams reality. Russell is a diver and his passion for diving brought him to the Marovo. However what he found was much more than a holiday destination.

“I’ve been to the Solomon Islands five times. I see so much intellectual potential at risk of being overridden by pure capitalist greed, such as the foreign logging companies. To be able to help young Solomon Islanders reach their full potential I feel is the key to their small nation’s real future.”

Through Russell’s incredibly generous support, Vanessa was able to secure a place at the Pacific Adventist University in Papua New Guinea and is on track to complete her Bachelor of Business, majoring in Accounting and Computing, in 2018.

It is students like Vanessa we wish to continue to identify and support through our tertiary program, and allow them to reach their full potential.

Health

Access to healthcare is extremely difficult in the Marovo Lagoon. The nearest doctor may be 160kms away, across open ocean. Even if a journey is successful, the costs of reaching and remaining in a hospital centre are far beyond what many can afford. It is not uncommon for people to decide to go untreated and live with pain, discomfort and unnecessary suffering.

Working from within the public healthcare system, Solutions pa Marovo provides supplementary healthcare by delivering high quality medical services directly to villagers. By travelling to these villages, where help is needed most, we are able to provide essential and immediate care to people who might otherwise receive none.

Solutions pa Marovo also supports existing services by improving upon or developing regional medical infrastructure. We work closely with the Western Provincial Health Service, Ministry of Health SI and Seghe Mini Hospital, and in partnership with Marovo Medical Foundation, have built surgical facilities and nursing housing, renovated hospital wards, created clean water supplies and installed solar panels and ceiling fans.
We won’t stop there. In the coming years we need to supply additional sanitation services, including waste incineration, and continue the improvement of medical support services, such as establishing laboratory and x‑ray.

The medical tours began in 2008 when Solutions family members Allan and Suzanne Daly decided to ease the suffering of the Marovo people from half a world away. Based in America, they went on to form the Marovo Medical Foundation, our partner in health.

This public health issue is placing massive strain on the medical services of the entire country. Slowly our message is getting through and patients are taking responsibility for their health. There is, however, a long way to go to achieve sustained success and education is key!

Watch our documentary

Medical Tours

May 2021 – On Hold

15th – 29th May

November 2021

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May 2022

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November 2022

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Village Tours

Americans Allan and Suzanne Daly, who decided to ease the suffering of the Marovo people from half a world away, began organising medical tours in 2008. They went on to form the Marovo Medical Foundation, our partner in health.

Today’s tours have grown into a formidable and renowned group of dedicated health care professionals and nonmedical personnel, assembled from across the globe, working side by side with local team members to deliver crucial doctor consultations and surgical procedures.

Our team of 25 treats over 1,000 patients and performs over 50 surgeries in clinics held every six months, alleviating not only unnecessary suffering, but also the enormous financial burden placed upon families for healthcare.

As well as healthcare, Solutions pa Marovo promotes health education awareness and supports professional development for local healthcare staff. This is particularly close to our hearts, as our population is severely affected by the introduction of non-traditional foods, diets and lifestyles. It is crucial our community is made aware of the health impacts of foreign foods, as diabetes and cardio vascular disease are now the nation’s biggest killers. And the numbers are rising. This is also causing the medical services of the entire country to grind to a halt. Slowly our message is getting through and patients are taking responsibility for their health. There is, however, a long way to go to achieve sustained success.

Surgical Tours

Thirty percent of the global burden of disease results from surgical conditions. Access to safe, affordable surgical care has eluded many people living in developing nations.

Since 2013 the Marovo Medical Tour has been addressing the surgical needs of the 20,000 people living in the Marovo Lagoon. The team operates out of our purpose built theatre, constructed in partnership with Marovo Medical Foundation and Uepi Island Resort. The theatre has modern surgical, gastroenterology and anaesthesia equipment, pressurised gas supplies, full resuscitation equipment, ultrasound imaging and point of care blood testing.

From small beginnings, our surgical teams now provide a wide range of elective surgery, allowing people to receive treatment near their homes with family and wantok support, and without the disruption and massive expense of travelling to Honiara. Surgical procedures include: superficial lumps and bumps, correction of congenital conditions; urology, gynaecology and general surgery; and patients with breast cancer and thyroid tumours have been successfully treated. Recently, endoscopy has been added to the service.

On the emergency side, every tour brings new and potentially life threatening challenges. Cases have included the management of severe sepsis and osteomyelitis, emergency Caesarian section, ruptured ectopic pregnancy, acute appendectomy and wound management. Recently we treated the victim of a crocodile attack. Fortunately, the patient survived. Recent tours performed between 50 and 80 surgical cases over eight operating days. The surgical team also supports local nursing staff in the management of acutely unwell medical patients who may be suffering from sepsis, seizures, respiratory problems or severe dehydration. The surgical team consists of specialist anaesthetists, surgeons and peri-operative nurses from the Solomon Islands, Australia and USA.

The surgical team is hugely grateful for the support of the staff of the Seghe Mini-Hospital, the Solomon Islands Ministry of Health, all our private donors and the substantial support of our commercial partners. Immediate goals of the surgical team include working with our partners to develop sustainable logistical support and supply lines to meet the complex equipment and consumable requirements of providing surgical services in a remote location. Capacity building is a priority and major efforts are underway to support local staff in their continuing professional development. Investment in surgical and anaesthesia services not only saves lives, but also promotes economic development.

Marovo Medical Tours: Area of Operations

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About Us

Coming from remote farming communities in South Australia, Jill and Grant Kelly developed attributes of self‑reliance and enduring fortitude. Never ones willingly constrained by others, they set out to see the world (above and below the ocean) and all its beauty and danger.

In 1982, arriving in darkness on a canoe, through reef encrusted waters, Uepi Island revealed to be a dream fulfilled and became a lifetime commitment, where balancing two worlds was a normal affair of daily life.

In order to create an incredibly unique resort, nightmare logistics, civil war and dangerous weather all posed unique challenges to overcome for Jill and Grant. The added challenge to the business plan was having youngsters Wesley and Jason to raise and send to school. Nevertheless the Kellys not only persisted, but also immersed themselves ever deeper into local culture. After some years of remote management, Jill, Grant and Jason took the reins full time in 1999 and never looked back.

Despite the dangers and damage to business and tourism, even the civil war in 2000 strengthened their resolve. It was during this period their relationship with the people of the Marovo developed even further. Jason connected with the locals by learning the local language and culture, and discussed directly with the people living in the Marovo Lagoon about their daily life.

Through this enhanced level of communication, it became apparent the most difficult challenges were the severely lacking health and education services, and the dangerous extractive logging and mining industries. Recognising the long-term implications, Jill and Grant commenced a small educational assistance program, designed to give Marovo children a prospect of secondary education.

The seeds of Solutions pa Marovo were planted. In 2008, Allan and Suzanne Daly’s Marovo Medical tours were beginning to operate. Acutely aware of the seriously degrading healthcare resources and funding in Marovo, Jill, Grant and Jason committed to providing robust logistical assistance to these tours. This cooperation led to the establishment of the Solutions pa Marovo charity; where the Kelly’s growing attempts to support sustainable education were merged with the ongoing desire to increase the availability of quality healthcare in Marovo. The Seghe Hospital upgrade was one of many noteworthy results of the new collaboration.

Efforts are ongoing to improve education and healthcare, and through improvements in clinical pharmacy, the adoption of public health and education philosophies, the ongoing logistical support of the Uepi Resort and the support of generous donors, Solutions pa Marovo is well placed to give the people of Marovo the opportunity of realising a better future.

The Kelly Family

Our Supporters

Contact Us

Solutions pa Marovo
P.O. Box 3011 Tarragindi QLD 4121
info at solutionspamarovo dot org