Success story of a young Solomon Islander working under the PALM scheme in Australia

CONSTRUCTING a 2 bedroom double story permanent house at the Kobito II Community in the outskirts of East Honiara is a dream come true for a local seasonal worker, 25-year-old Kali. Kali recalled that when his father passed away due to a serious illness in 2009, he left him and his mother with nothing but an old rundown leaf hut situated at their current place of residence. “As a child, before I would go to bed at night, I would lie on my bed watching the clear night sky and stars through the big torn roof of our leaf hut. “Sometimes when it rains, we would find a safe space to sleep inside the hut, just to avoid the raindrops from the leaking roof,” Kali told SUNDAY ISLES. Kali admitted that the seasonal employment opportunity in Australia triggered his ambition to fulfil his dream home. After undergoing three seasons of seasonal work in agricultural farms in Australia from 2020 to 2022, Kali managed to send money to his mother, and with the support of his cousin brothers, and uncles, they managed to demolish the old rundown leaf hut and erected a 2 bedroom double story permanent house. SEE EXCLUSIVE INTERVIEW.