Mr. Edward Kaltamat, The Secretary General, MALAMPA Provincial Government.

Lakatoro, Central Malekula.

4th November, 2015.

Dear Secretary General,

Malampa TVET Centre Report: June to July 2015

The Malampa TVET Centre is pleased to release this monthly report of June and July 2015 on

inclusive skills development activities undertaken in partnership with the national and provincial

productive sector stakeholders delivered to our community members in Malampa.

We are pleased to inform you of the positive outcomes that have been achieved during this

period.

Yours faithfully,

Ellise. SAILAS Malampa TVET Centre Manager

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cc: Jonathan GEORGE, Director, Tertiary and Higher Education

David LAMBUKLY, CEO, VQA.

Renjo SAMUEL, Chairperson, MALAMPA Provincial Government Training Board.

Fremden S. YANHAMBATH, Team Leader, VTSSP.

Anna GIBERT, Implementation Adviser, VTSSP.

Peter MORRIS, Technical Director, VTSSP.

Sara WEBB, M&E Specialist, VTSSP.

Sally BAKER, Disability Inclusion Adviser, VTSSP

Christelle THIEFFRY, Senior Program Officer - Education, Australian High Commission.

Joe TIMOTHY, Chief Executive Officer, Vanuatu Agriculture College.

James WASI, Acting Director, Agriculture Department.

Lonny BONG, Director, Department of Livestock.

Hanington TATE, Director, Department of Forestry.

George BORUGU, Director, Department of Tourism.

Pakoa KALO, Director, Department of Fisheries.

Joseph RIDLEY, Director, Office of the Registrar of Cooperative and Business Development Services

Dorrosday Kenneth WATSON, Director, Department of Women’s Affairs.

Sam KAIAPAM, National Disability Desk Office.

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Business Development Services

Forestry Sector: Chainsaw operation and maintenance - Paama and Chainsaw technical

follow up - Ambrym

From the 1st - 10th June 2015, the Malampa Forestry Department in collaboration with the Malampa TVET

Centre delivered a 8-day workshop on Chainsaw operation and maintenance targeted to 20 existing

chainsaw operators in Vutekai community of South Paama Island. The Paama Area Council requested this

skills training as part of a Post-PAM cyclone reconstruction program for affected Paama Island residents.

The outcomes from this workshop will be to assist in re-building homes using the chainsaw operation

skills learnt from this course to mill fallen logs. The results demonstrated that participants were able to

repair and fix 10 faulty chainsaw machines., It was observed and remarked that they have learnt and

acquired competence in demonstrating different new techniques which involve tree felling, cross cuts, log

scaling, ripping and milling of sawn timbers, applying basic personal safety practices in chainsaw

operation activity, and using different chainsaw operation practices with chalk line, mini milling and

Alaskan. Re-planting of trees was also demonstrated during the course after site logging practical

exercises. Participants also acquired a fair understanding of costing or pricing timbers through timber

volume calculation exercises in cubic metres. A major highlight of this workshop is the result of 1.786

cubic metres of timber sawn and its value is estimated at VT 150,280. The sawn timbers will be used to

reconstruct homes in Paama Island after the devastating damage caused by Cyclone PAM.

Another two days of technical follow up with trained chainsaw operators from the 2013 chainsaw

operation course was also conducted by the Malampa Forestry Department just after this workshop in

South East of Ambrym Island. Results also showed that most of the participants were able to contribute in

re-building of their families’ homes in South East Ambrym after Cyclone Pam through using their chainsaw

operation skills in cutting timbers from fallen trees. One of the trained participants is currently selling

timber products to Port Vila timber buyers.

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Livestock Sector: Dairy farming introduced to farmers in Malekula and Poultry farm

management follow up, Malekula

From the 8th – 10th June 2015, the Malampa Livestock Department in collaboration with the Malampa

TVET Centre delivered a 3-day workshop on Dairy Farming for 15 existing Malekula small holder cattle

farmers at Lakatoro, Central Malekula. This Dairy Farming workshop is the first ever joint initiative

organized and coordinated by the Malampa Livestock Department and the Malampa TVET Centre in this

field. The outcomes of this workshop also motivated existing cattle farmers to engage in dairy farming

programs in Malekula. The participants demonstrated fair competence in applying different procedures

and techniques for milking cows. These includes understanding the health benefits of fresh milk, its

nutrients, how to build a stock yard for safe and proper milking of cows as well as the processes for actual

milking sessions – milk extraction & collection and sieving into proper hygienic sealed containers or jugs

ready for storage and pasteurizing.

The Dairy Farming program will not only address the food security aims of providing nutritious fresh

protein-filled milk for consumption by local community members but also can be a potential additional

income activity for existing small holder cattle farmers. This initiative can also be further supported with

technical coaching and mentoring and workshops specific to address proper “safe and hygienic” fresh

milk packaging, bottling with certified correct labeling (branding of fresh milk) to attract local market

demands in communities as well as viable inter-island domestic trades and market in Santo and Vila.

There is a growing demand for fresh milk consumption which this dairy farming program can address at

the village levels – in particular to retail consumer shops, and educational institutions.

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On 28th July 2015, the Malampa Livestock Department in collaboration with the Malampa TVET Centre

delivered a 1-day technical follow up with 10 trained poultry farmers (4 females) who attended the

Poultry farming management workshop at South East of Malekula in 2014. The technical follow up aims at

evaluating the impacts and competence level of participants skills after completion of the poultry farming

management workshop in 2014. The results showed that 40% of the trainees are competent in continuing

with their poultry business: fair production of chickens from farming activities, successful village egg and

chicken sales to generate income to support their livelihoods.

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Fisheries Sector: Tilapia fish farming introduced to communities in Malekula

The Malampa TVET Centre in collaboration with the Fisheries Department has introduced Tilapia Fresh Water Fish Farming for the first time to the people of Malekula. On 15th to 19th June 2015 the Malampa TVET Centre Team and the Fisheries Department introduced tilapia farming through an awareness which they conducted from the south working their way up north covering over 10 communities. The team also carried out assessments to determine suitable farm sites at each community which includes farming space assessments and assessments of water sources and accessibility to proposed pond sites (standard size 10m x 5m = 50 m²) which resulted in 20 (18 males and 2 females) selected to participate in the tilapia pond construction workshop in August 2015. Mr. Keven Morres from the Malampa Fisheries Department remarked that “this joint initiative organized and coordinated together between Malampa Fisheries Department and Malampa TVET Centre is the first of its kind to introduce tilapia fresh water fish farming program in Malekula and Malampa province as a whole. There is evidently great community interest for people to farm tilapia as another fresh water protein source because the population is increasing and there will be more consumption of the coastal fisheries resources so this will help control the current pressure on the coastal reef fishes, shell fish and other resources for daily food consumption. This is a key priority for the Fisheries Department to introduce tilapia fish farming for food security purposes and surplus and the second objective is to generate additional income to support the livelihoods of those who are interested in farming tilapia fresh water fish.”

In targeted communities of Malekula, community leaders and members have been consulted and have acquired a good understanding of tilapia fish farming from stage 1 - awareness, site selection and assessment - to stage 2 - pond construction - stage 3 - tilapia fish culture- stage 4 - tilapia fish handling for harvest and marketing. The economic outcomes envisaged by the officers involved also captured the communities’ interest. A mini hatchery site at Lakatoro was assessed to be constructed as a ‘holding site’ for tilapia pouches or fingerlings. A recommendation by the Fisheries aquaculture officer, Mr Andrew William, was to use earthen and poly plastic/tarpaulin to farm tilapia fish.

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Other sector: Malekula persons with disability receive assistive device donations from

Australian Therapy volunteers

From the 6th-10th July 2015, a joint initiative led by the Malampa Disability Committee and the Australian

Therapy volunteer team in collaboration with national and provincial stakeholders such as the National

Disability Desk Office, Malampa Provincial Government, Malampa Youth Council, the Malampa TVET

Centre and other key organizations, were involved in disability inclusion community awareness raisings

and distribution of assistive devices for persons with disability within selected communities of Malekula.

The aim of this activity was to raise awareness to communities about rights of people living with disability

and how to access services including skills training activities to support their livelihoods as well as

participate in community activities and distribution of assistive devices (wheelchairs and walking frames)

to persons with disability. Over 160 people were present and witnessed the handing over and actual

fitting of assistive devices support provided to persons with disability during the community visits in

North East, South East and Central Malekula. Hon. Edward Kaltamat as the newly appointed Secretary

General for Malampa province also welcomed the visiting Australian Therapy volunteer team during the

handing over ceremony at the provincial headquarter in Lakatoro. He further remarked that this is the

first of its kind for an overseas volunteer team to provide this technical assistance to support the people

of Malampa and especially families who are currently living with disability in the rural areas of Malekula

and Malampa province.

The community leaders and the family members that received these assistive device donations were

pleased and were very thankful for the support provided to them by the Australian Therapy volunteer

team.

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Tourism Sector: Rural tourism operators enhance their skills in rural tourism marketing

in Ambrym

The TVET for Tourism program in Malampa engaged a TVET for Tourism industry coach in collaboration

with the Malampa Call Centre to deliver a 2-day workshop on rural tourism marketing for 16 tourism

clients on 24th – 25th June 2015 at Craigcove community in Ambrym Island. As core facilitators, Ms

Mereana Mills (industry coach) and Ms Sera Ety (Malampa Call Centre Manager) remarked that most

participants have re-written and agreed upon their standardized tourism business sales and marketing

information, updated their business photos and also have shown interest in continuing to promote their

tourism products through internet e-marketing via business facebook page, and emails.

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Manufacturing Sector: Malampa Handicraft Centre weavers’ participation in a local hat

making workshop in Santo and MHC makes record sales in Malekula.

From the 27th – 28th July 2015, a local hat making workshop was held with weavers represented from

both Sanma Handicraft Associations and Malampa Handicraft Centre business. This was a joint initiative

coordinated by a United Nations agency, the International Trade Centre (ITC) in Santo, in liaison with

TVET Centres in Sanma and Malampa and Women’s Handicraft businesses in both provinces that sent

their representative weavers to participate in this 2-days workshop at Vanuatu Agriculture College in

Santo. The workshop is the first in a series of skills building and international export awareness workshops

ITC plans to deliver in Vanuatu as part of its women economic empowerment program in the Pacific

which is financed by the Australian Government.

The workshop aims to provide skills to rural women weavers to produce quality hats for tourists in

Vanuatu and export to other countries. The results show that most weavers have acquired and enhanced

their weaving and finishing skills in weaving hats to meet international marketing requirements or

standards that also would create interest for potential international export markets beyond Vanuatu. This

is another step for TVET Centres to work in partnership with other aid donor partners with common

interests to economically empower women in Vanuatu.

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Malampa Handicraft Centre makes record sale

The Malampa Handicraft Centre (MHC) had reached another milestone by securing a huge sale of locally

dried pandanus to one of the most established market wholesalers of Handicraft in Vanuatu, ACTIV.

ACTIV has ordered 5,000 rolls of locally dried pandanus leaves from MHC suppliers and VT 2.9 million was

transferred to the MHC bank account in Malekula. The pandanus rolls were sold at VT 350 per roll with VT

50 commission from each of the 5,000 pandanus wheels sold goes back to the Malampa Handicraft

Centre. An estimate of VT300, 000 commissions will be paid back to the MHC from total sales of 5,000

pandanus wheels/rolls whilst 2.6 million vatu is paid directly to the MHC registered suppliers.

A Wala pandanus roll supplier remarked: 'After raising awareness with ‘mamas’ in our community, I can

see that this has become an 'eye opener' for our husbands because they now can see the roles woman

play in contributing to the day-to-day business activities. It surprises me to see the ‘papas’ are now very

keen to help their wives and daughters to collect the pandanus leaves from their gardens and even help

them prepare those leaves for packaging. They also accompany the women and girls down to Lakatoro

Market house at the Malampa Handicraft Centre....This has to me shown a great achievement for our

work at the Malampa Handicraft Centre to see the full participation of our family members to produce to

meet the current huge market demand in Vila and our first HUGE order....You can just see their smiling

faces when everyone collects their money at the Malampa Handicraft Centre which will benefit their day

to day living in their communities."

This is the first biggest order for Malampa Handicraft Centre which greatly reflects all the team efforts

from the Malampa TVET Staff and the committed ‘mama’s’ of the Malampa Handicraft Centre. I

acknowledged and salute their achievements for another great 'Economical outcome

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Summary

The strong partnership between the TVET Centre and its national and provincial stakeholders especially

the PGTB members has again yielded many great outcomes for the rural communities in Malampa leading

to greater opportunities for achieving economic empowerment. The Malampa TVET Centre team would

like to thank the national and provincial stakeholders especially the PGTB members for the good

cooperation and coordination with the TVET Centre staff to successfully organize and implement these

activities and we look forward to continuing to work with you all to strengthen our partnerships to deliver

demand-driven TVET Centre services to our communities.