Despite its close proximity to Australia – Honiara, the capital, is a short flight from Brisbane – the Solomon Islands is one of the poorest countries in the world. Although stunningly beautiful and rich in natural resources, the reality for the vast majority of the country’s half a million inhabitants is poverty and unemployment.

Like many Pacific Island nations, the Solomon Islands is experiencing a period of transition and transformation, with globalisation and rapid socio-political and economic change weakening traditional systems and values. In recent years, this has been exacerbated by political instability and civil unrest. The period of violent ethnic tension between the two main ethnic groups between 1998 and 2003 brought the nation’s development to a halt, with the economy heading towards total collapse.

One of the world’s 50 least developed countries, the Solomon Islands is comprised of nearly 1,000 islands, with more than 80 per cent of the population living in remote and rural areas. Formal full-time employment is rare and it is common for one waged person to support upwards of 15 extended family members. If you are lucky enough to secure full-time employment in a grocery store, you will earn the equivalent of AUD$16 per week.

Many children in the Solomon Islands do not attend school or leave school early. The Solomon Islands has experienced a growing demographic ‘youth bulge’ with youth unemployment rates twice as high as other working age groups.  Sixty three per cent of the population is under 24 years of age, and limited opportunities for young people result in substance abuse (home brew and marijuana); teenage pregnancy; criminal activities; and sexual exploitation leading to exposure to HIV infection and sexually transmitted diseases.

In 1986, Save the Children Australia started working in the Solomon Islands, with a focus on finding sustainable solutions to the various issues that hinder the development of children and young people.

Our programs include: