North Malaitan wins SPC's Pacific Excellence in Extension Service Award 2006

A North Malaita agriculture extension officer, John Faleka, has been awarded the inaugural 2006 Pacific Excellence in Extension Service Award by the Secretariat of the Pacific Community (SPC) late last year.

The winners of the 2006 Pacific Excellence in Extension Service Award were announced at a special ceremony during the 2nd Regional Heads of Agriculture and Forestry Systems (HOAFS) meeting held in September 2006, in Nadi, Fiji.

The Pacific Excellence in Extension Service Award, the first of its kind in the Pacific, recognises excellence in extension services by a Pacific Islander. It also honours the work of those who have made major contributions in the field of extension, outreach and community development in the Pacific region.

According to the SPC's website John Faleka, winner of the award is an extension worker based in the northern region of Malaita Province. His work requires him to trek to mountain villages and villages along the coast. He is always cheerful, helpful and hard working. During the height of the ethnic tension, he alone remained at the North Malaita sub-station when others returned to their homes for safety. This is typical of Mr Faleka’s professional attitude to his work and his desire to get the job done.

The award aims to promote best practices, build capacity and encourage Pacific Islanders who work with communities to improve delivery of extension services. It is an initiative of the Pacific Islands Extension Network (PIEN), which was established as a result of a recommendation of the inaugural Pacific Extension Summit in Tonga in November 2005 and attached to the SPC's Land Resources Division. PIEN will form a network of experts who will share extension experiences and seek ways of improving the delivery of extension services in the Pacific. The next Extension Summit will take place later this year.

Source: SPC