Solomon Islanders are experiencing the harsh realities of climate change. Rising sea levels are threatening coastal villages and gardens. Increasingly frequent and severe disasters are disrupting communities, threatening their safety, children’s education and food security.
In partnership with the Ministry of Environment, Climate Change, Disaster Management and Meteorology, we’re delivering a groundbreaking initiative known as Solomon Islands Knowledge, Action, Sustainability for Resilient Villages project (SOLKAS).
Primarily financed by the Green Climate Fund with support from the Australian, New Zealand and Solomon Islander governments, this USD $30.5 million project is equipping communities and schools with the vital knowledge, tools and resources to achieve sustainable development in the face of climate change.
SOLKAS is one of the largest locally led adaptation projects worldwide and has a significant focus on the education sector. Over 6 years, the project will directly support 185,000 children, young people, and community members in 170 remote and rural communities across six provinces. An additional 277,000 people will indirectly benefit from the project.
The SOLKAS project is implemented across Solomon Islands and in partnership with the Ministry of Environment, Climate Change, Disaster Management and Meteorology; the Ministry of Agriculture and Livestock; Ministry of Provincial Government and Institutional Strengthening; Ministry of Education and Human Resources Development; Ministry of Fisheries and Marine Resources; and the Ministry of Women, Youth, Children and Family Affairs.
How SOLKAS drives change
The project is empowering children, youth, and communities in rural and remote regions of the Solomon Islands by helping them access the knowledge, skills, and resources needed to reduce vulnerability to climate hazards.
SOLKAS is working inclusively with communities and national, provincial and local governments. It increases their understanding of climate change impacts, helping to improve food security and nutrition; enhances the climate-resilience of schools; and builds youth entrepreneurship opportunities.
Greater knowledge and skills in climate adaptation will drive climate action at all levels. This will lead governments and communities to integrate climate risks into planning, and protect food security, nutrition, and infrastructure investments. We know that responsive, adequately resourced governance that caters to community needs creates an enabling environment for sustainable climate-resilient innovations.
SOLKAS is supporting Solomon Islanders to access the knowledge, skills, and resources needed to reduce
their vulnerability to climate hazards.
Photo: Rachel Tarsan / Save the Children.
Addressing local climate challenges
As SOLKAS progresses, we will see:
Community and School Climate Adaptation Plans: communities and schools develop and implement climate adaptation plans. They will also gain access to up-to-date climate information.
Climate-Resilient Livelihoods: communities build more climate-resilient livelihoods. This initiative will bolster food security, improve nutrition, and enhance access to water. Activities will support youth in communities to learn new skills that will help increase the climate resilience of their livelihoods in the face of climate change impacts.
Adaptive Governance: strengthened institutions facilitate adaptive governance, ensuring inclusivity and responsiveness to community needs. This approach will help increase the ability of communities to effectively plan for and adapt to climate change impacts. It will also support the government, at central and local levels, to better support community-level adaptation in the future.
Youth Empowerment: youth entrepreneurs develop innovative, climate-resilient livelihoods and are supported to scale their best ideas.
Innovating for success
Innovation is at the centre of SOLKAS.
SOLKAS is developing a cutting-edge Digital Climate Risk Assessment and Adaptation Planning toolset. This technology facilitates the aggregation of climate and adaptation data at various levels of government. Together with immediate user feedback, this data will allow for efficient planning and decision-making by government and partners. The toolset will also directly help communities better assess climate risks and develop locally relevant adaptation plans.
Our Youth Climate Resilient Livelihoods Incubator will empower rural youth to become climate-resilient innovators. The project is also developing self-study tools for young people to build their understanding of key climate issues and then share their knowledge and livelihoods expertise with their peers.
Young Solomon Islanders are being supported to think innovatively about the climate-proof jobs of tomorrow.
Photo: Connor Ashleigh / Save the Children.
Scale and sustainability
SOLKAS is based on proven approaches that are ready to scale.
The Comprehensive School Safety approach is one of Save the Children’s global Common Approaches and has been effective in numerous countries for over a decade. Safe Schools draws from decades of experience, learning, and research from across the globe.
While locally led adaptation (LLA) is a relatively new concept, it builds on a 30-year history of community-based adaptation (CBA). The CBA approach, upon which LLA is founded, has been successful at various scales. It is also being implemented by another Save the Children supported and GCF-funded initiative – the Vanuatu Community Climate Resilience Project.
By helping communities to access the tools and resources they need to combat the impacts of climate change, we are supporting them to build a more secure and sustainable future for themselves. We’re implementing the project through government systems so we can make a more lasting impact on the lives of those most vulnerable to the impacts of climate change.
Contact
For further information, contact marguerite.bennett@savethechildren.org.au.
SOLKAS is primarily financed by the Green Climate Fund, with co-financing support from the Australian Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade and the New Zealand Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Trade, and in-kind support from the Government of Solomon Islands.
The project is delivered in partnership with the Ministry of Environment, Climate Change, Disaster Management and Meteorology; the Ministry of Agriculture and Livestock; Ministry of Provincial Government and Institutional Strengthening; Ministry of Education and Human Resources Development; Ministry of Fisheries and Marine Resources; and the Ministry of Women, Youth, Children and Family Affairs.
