A youth organization in North Malaita (UDRF) will represent Solomon Islands in the Pan Commonwealth Institutional Building Programme on Small Business

Uttermost Rural Development Foundation (URDF), a rural base youth organisation in North Malaita will represent the country in the Pan Commonwealth Institutional Building Programme on Small Business Competitiveness Development to be held in India, Delhi, next week.
The meeting will start from November 19 to 24.
Director of URDF Redley Ramo will be representing the rural youth organisation.
He told Solomon Star that the programme was co-hosted by the Commonwealth Secretariat and the Government of India through the National Institute for Entrepreneurship and Small Business Development in India.
URDF was given the honour to represent Solomon Islands for its role in promoting and the engagement of youths in establishing a rural base organisation in North Malaita.
Some of the objectives of the organisation are; to facilitate, coordinate and organise youth programs in the rural areas; to be a voice and bridge to link government, donors, development partners etc to youths in rural areas and to ensure youths are develop to be technically and practically knowledgeable to become productively oriented.
URDF will be launching its program proper by early 2007, after a three year successful pilot project.
“We see this workshop in India as an opportunity to look and learn from people and groups with real work experiences, successful work programs and self-help initiative programs.
“Furthermore, this will be opportunity to meet with financial resource people under the Commonwealth network and other resourceful organisation to boost small medium development programmes in developing countries like Solomon Islands,” he said.
URDF believes that the future of SI lies in SME’s, however the rural sector must be recognised, supported and be given the will to actively participate in SME’s development program.
Moreover, Mr Ramo said the government and development partners must put in the needed resources and infrastructure to allow for such growth in the rural areas.
“URDF believes that such workshop will be a great learning experience. As seen in the past most information’s gathered from such worthwhile programs and workshop were however not being filtered to the right people and organisation.
“For instance, most technical agreements signed by our government, NGO’s and other development institution were being shelved and not been utilised.
“URDF would like to ensure that such worthwhile information’s must be trickle down to the rural areas where it can be develop into appropriate programs that would create an environment for rural people to engage and participate squarely in small and medium development activities,” Mr Ramo said.
Mr Ramo would like to applaud the wisdom of Commonwealth Secretariat and the Forum Secretariat for nominating a rural base organization in S.I to be represented in this up coming workshop.
“Basically, this fits in well with the government so called bottom up policy.
“URDF believes for the rural development policy to be realise, SIG must ensure that rural people be well trained to develop technical skills and know-how to effectively carry out its programs in their respect communities.
“Such inputs must be definably tailored according to the context of each respective community to appropriately suit their need,” Mr Ramo who leaves tomorrow for the meeting said.
The workshop will last for a week. However, Mr Ramo said, in the meantime he is looking forward for this worthwhile program and surely return home with a wealth of knowledge to contribute towards strengthening his rural base organisation.

Therefore, on behave of Toabaita Authority for Research and Development (TARD) we would like to congradulate UDRF for this great achievement.

Source:Solomon star.