Habitat for Humanity Solomon Islands

FEAR OF RENEWED POLITICAL AND ethnic violence continue to ensure that the Solomon Islands remains one of the poorest nations in the South Pacific.

The archipelago of volcanic islands and atolls northeast of Australia has seen its economy badly affected by years of disturbances. Events have pushed much of the population to rely on subsistence and cash crop agriculture. Exports of timber, often illegally logged, have helped boost economic growth recently, but there are warnings, from the Australian government, for instance, that such rates of logging are unsustainable.

Violence caused extensive damage to personal property and the countries physical and social infrastructure. It will take many years to recover.

Habitat for Humanity is working in the Solomon Islands through a partnership with the local Catholic diocese on a program to assist families whose homes were ravaged by the April 2007 tsunami. The first-phase of the program assisted more than 140 families to repair their homes. A possible second phase of work, in a collaborated effort led by HFH Australia, could commence to rebuild over 110 destroyed and collapsed houses on badly hit Ghizo island.

Previously Habitat had a permanent presence in the Solomon Islands. Over about eight years, the Habitat program assisted approximately 20 families in need to build or renovate their homes.

COUNTRY FACTS

Population: 566,842 (July 2007 est.)

Capital: Honiara

Area: 28,450 sq. km.

Ethnic groups: Melanesian 94.5%, Polynesian 3%, Micronesian 1.2%, other 1.1%, unspecified 0.2% (1999 census)

Languages: Melanesian pidgin; English (official; but spoken by only 1%-2% of the population); 120 indigenous languages

Religions: Church of Melanesia 32.8%, Roman Catholic 19%, South Seas Evangelical 17%, Seventh-Day Adventist 11.2%, United Church 10.3%, Christian Fellowship Church 2.4%, other Christian 4.4%, other 2.4%, unspecified 0.3%, none 0.2% (1999 census)

Updated November 2007