Hila Sukkar volunteering in Solomon Islands

St Anne's Rural Training Centre, Solomon Islands

Located in the Shortland Islands, near the border of PNG, St Anne's RTC provides vocational training to young women. The government of the Solomon Islands has identified the education of women in rural areas to be a high priority.

With limited employment opportunities available, Rural Training Centres have been started across the Solomon Islands to provide useful skills in areas such as agriculture, trades, tourism, small business and manufacturing which students can use in the search for employment, but also to begin projects back home in their villages. English is the primary language of business in the Solomon Islands and although Pidgin is often used for communication, a working grasp of English is essential for any business - big or small.

Palms Australia received a request for a qualified English teacher to work at St Anne's in Nila and with other communities in Wagina (another rural village) and Gizo (a provincial capital).

Hila Sukkar

Hila will work as a Teacher and Community Liaison Officer at St Anne's Rural Training Centre. Her role will include teaching English to the students, developing local staff's abilities to use creative teaching techniques including using Art and Drama. She will work to develop the English language skills of teachers and in turn provide greater self-esteem and confidence in their ability to teach in English.

Hila has previously worked at Holy Family Primary School, Granville and St Bernadette's, Dundas Valley. She has a number of qualifications and experience in dramatic arts and has trained to teach students with a variety of special needs. Palms Australia and St Anne's believe Hila is very well equipped for the task.