Reflection on My First Day Back at Work – Lessons in Project Risk and Management

By Ivory waki / Solvoice
Today marked my return to work after the festive season and the beginning of 2026. I did not expect the day to bring such an eye-opening experience — one that made me smile, reflect, and learn. I was confronted by five frustrated workers from the appointed contractor for the JCPU Administration Building project. One of the workers had just been released from temporary detention at the police station after the contractor reported them. You can imagine the emotional state of someone who had just come out of detention — stressed, confused, and upset. I took time to talk with them and quickly noticed several failures in the current project management that contributed to this situation. I believe these setbacks are rooted in the early stages of the project, particularly in the following areas: 1. Procurement system of the project 2. Planning phase, including costing and scheduling 3. Lack of written agreements between the main contractor and subcontractors 4. Incompetence and poor leadershi...
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Losing Our Mother Tongue: A Wake-Up Call

By Ivory waki / Solvoice


 Today I had a casual conversation with one of my work colleagues, who is also a fellow Kwara'ae speaker. What started as a simple chat turned into a sad realization: many of us in this generation can no longer count properly in our own mother tongue.

We can easily count in English — 1, 2, 3, 4, up to 10 and beyond. But when it comes to our own language, most of us only manage to count up to 10, and even then we struggle. Beyond ten, we are lost.

This really opened my eyes. We went through school learning everything in English, including basic counting, and we ignored or were never taught how to count in our own language. We grew up fluent in English numbers, yet disconnected from something so basic and meaningful in our cultural identity.

It is sad, and it is worrying. Because if we, the current generation, already struggle with something as simple as counting in Kwara'ae, what will happen to our children? What will they inherit? A language they can barely speak? A culture they cannot fully claim?

And this is not just a Kwara'ae issue. It is a common reality across many languages in Solomon Islands. So many of our children grow up speaking English or Pijin more confidently than their mother tongue. Slowly, quietly, our languages are fading.

I truly hope that our responsible authorities, educators, and community leaders will seriously re-look at preserving our languages. These are not just words — they are our identity, our history, our connection to our land and ancestors.

If we lose our languages, we lose a part of who we are.

If you like reading this, also Dreamy 2:30 PM

read https://solvoice.blogspot.com/2025/12/a-dreamy-230-pm-between-procurement.html?m=1

💬Let me know your thoughts in the comment section below👇


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