The people of the Solomon Islands face many problems, mostly related to the remoteness of many communities, transport issues and a lack of communication facilities. In many areas access to health care is limited and unaffordable. The churches play a key role in the provision of these services.

In April 2007 a massive earthquake caused tsunami waves of up to 4 metres high.  These waves had a devastating effect on coastal communities and the official death toll reached 52. Hundreds of families lost their homes, some schools have disappeared and some major health facilities were extensively damaged

In the wake of the tsunami in 2007 UnitingWorld provided assistance  to rebuild infrastructure in many locations. However it is vital that continued support is given, especially in the area of health care.

UnitingWorld is building the capacity of the United Church in the Solomon Islands Health Service to ensure it has the resources and training to assist the community in the area of health.  This includes building appropriate agreements with government and internal processes to deliver effective health services on the ground, including services relating to the prevention of HIV/AIDS.

2011 Updates

Since the mobile clinic begun in 2009, health services have been provided to remote areas including approximately 25,000 people. The clinics successfully see on average 50-100 patients a day.

In its December 2011 Newsletter, Helena Goldie Hospital expressed thanks to the Uniting Church for their continued support. Remote visits "are only possible because of the generosity of our friends and donor partners of Uniting Church Australia. Without their continuing support, the grass roots people of our remote villages would be denied these visits that they appreciate, need and deserve. We thank our partners humbly and hope that they can understand the importance of the work that their donations make possible," the newsletter said.

The newsletters highlighted the success of the remote visits. "Villagers welcome our teams with excitement, as they know that the special services that the Doctor and Nurses can provide are very important to the health of people that live in these remote areas. Most of the villages visited by our Medical Tour have a small health centre, many of which are manned by only one Nurse Aide, and these people also
appreciate the visits as they provide a chance to learn and to share experience that they are unable to do normally because of their isolation."

Downloadable Resources:

Project Sheet