BY NED GAGAHE
North West Guadalcanal Constituency (NWGC) has begun rolling out its 2025 Constituency Development Funds (CDF) projects, with schools and churches among the key beneficiaries.
At Norman Palmer Community High School (CHS) last week, the constituency formally handed over one Starlink internet kit with one year of free service, along with 150 bags of cement to support the completion of the school’s fencing project.
Member of Parliament for NWGC, Francis Sade, said the support comes at an important time, saying that the school is located along the boundary between East Honiara and North West Guadalcanal.
“This is a border area where people belong to and vote in two constituencies. Development is an ongoing process and something we must support together,” MP Sade said.
He said that the NWGC constituency office is willing to continue supporting development initiatives in the area over the next two years.
“I hope this Starlink will help improve children’s learning because almost everything now is on the internet. I believe strongly in education because the future belongs to the young generation. Without education, we are not preparing the future of this country,” he said.
Sade said that the items are part of the 2025 CDF project rollout, which began during the festive season and will continue into the new year.
Norman Palmer CHS Principal, Henry Rahemola, thanked the NWGC and MP Sade for responding positively to the school’s request.
He said the fencing project is a shared-cost initiative valued at SBD 241,000, funded by the Australian Government under the Solomon Islands–Australia Community Partnerships. The school is meeting the labour costs, while the constituency has assisted with construction materials.
“This support has come at the right time. The project is nearing completion, but we needed materials to finish a small portion at the school gate and another section before final completion. We are hopeful everything will be completed by the end of January,” Rahemola said.
He added that the Starlink support is timely as the school plans to introduce computer studies for Form Six students next year.
“At the moment, we are using one Starlink service at a cost of about $1,600 per month. With this new support, the cost will reduce to around $600, which will really help us. A computer studies teacher has already been recruited,” he said.
Meanwhile, Christ the King Anglican Church at Gilbert Camp received 50 bags of grout and 150 cartons of tiles. Church Chairman, Charles Maelanga, described the assistance as timely, as the church will host the Diocese of Central Melanesia’s Diocesan Synod in 2026.
“This church serves more than 1,000 congregants and also supports Norman Palmer CHS activities, including graduations. The tiles will be used for the front entrance and altar area,” Maelanga said.
In response, MP Sade said the NWGC stands ready to support institutions such as schools and churches, reaffirming the constituency’s commitment to assisting faith-based organizations.
St Peter Chanel Barana Catholic Church also received building materials for the construction of its new church building. The materials include bags of cement, plywood, nails, tie wire, and steel rods.
Vice Chairman of the church, Fadius Bradly, thanked MP Sade for the assistance, saying it will help ease financial pressure and speed up construction.
“With these materials, we feel relieved despite our tight budget. This support will help us move the project forward more quickly,” he said.
MP Sade said churches and schools remain priorities for NWGC.
“I want to improve service delivery in our community. Churches have played an important role in our growth and development, and we will continue to support them. This assistance is part of the Rural Constituency Development Fund (RCDF) we received this year,” he said.
Prior to the site visits, the NWGC office had already delivered several projects in the days leading up to Christmas.
These include two sets of Starlink equipment for the DIVIT Rural Training Centre and Visale Parish, solar street lighting for Visale Parish, and a complete public address (PA) system with full instruments valued at $21,000 for the Visale Parish Youth.
These projects were delivered under the constituency’s Cross-Sectoral budget allocation of SBD 810,000.
Sade highlighted the important role of churches and training institutions in fostering social cohesion and community development.
“Supporting churches and training centres goes beyond infrastructure—it is an investment in our people. A strong and united community is the foundation of a stronger North West Guadalcanal,” he said.
According to the NWGC office, more projects under the 2025 CDF budget—covering cross-sectoral initiatives and three other key sectors—are scheduled for implementation in the coming weeks and will extend into early 2026. The visits to Norman Palmer CHS, Christ the King Anglican Church, and St Peter Chanel Barana Catholic Church form part of this implementation phase.
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