Safe Communities, Safer Homes: CAUSE II and DFAT See Component 2 In Action Across Honiara

A JOINT monitoring team from the CAUSE II Project Management Unit (PMU) and Australia’s Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade (DFAT) spent a day tracing a single thread through four Honiara Communities on Thursday 27 August 2026. From steal beams rising over a flood-prone crossing at Jericho, to a freshly poured footpath cutting through Grass Valley, with the visit offering a firsthand look at how Component 2 of the Community Access and Urban Services Enhancement Project II (CAUSE II) – Safe and Inclusive Communities – is moving from design to daily life.

The visit was guested by Thomas Hayes, DFAT Second Secretary for Infrastructure, and Ms Shenthel Soaki, Program Manager, who were joined by PMU engineers and community liaison officers across all four sites. Over the course of the day, the delegation walked the length of active worksites, spoke with work-group leaders and community members, and took stock of progress against the component’s targets.

From a new footbridge rising over Lower Jericho 1’s flood-prone creek, to community-led road maintenance in Matariu, the Mata Valley Stream Cleaning Group clearing years of rubbish along Vara Creek, and 270 metres of new footpath taking shape in Grass Valley, the visit showcased the practical impact of Component 2 across Honiara.

At Lower Jericho 1, work is underway on a new footbridge across a flood-prone creek. The improved crossing is expected to provide safer access for residents, particularly during periods of heavy rainfall and flooding.

In Matariu, community members are carrying out road maintenance activities aimed at improving access and mobility within the settlement.

Meanwhile, in Mata Valley, the local stream cleaning group is tackling years of accumulated rubbish along Vara Creek. The community-led work is helping improve water flow and drainage while contributing to a cleaner and safer environment for residents.

“When we clean the streams, the water flows better and the streams become cleaner,” said Dorothy Lau, Mata Valley Stream Cleaning Group Leader.

In Grass Valley, construction is progressing on 270 metres of new footpath, providing safer pedestrian access and improving connectivity within the community.

Component 2 – Safe and Inclusive Communities aims to deliver more than 160 climate-resilient community infrastructure sub-projects across Honiara and connect more than 4,700 community residents to short-term employment opportunities.

The community works are designed to provide practical improvements while creating opportunities for residents to participate directly in the development and maintenance of infrastructure in their own communities.

The joint monitoring visit also highlighted the important role played by community groups and local leaders in delivering these improvements.

From footbridges and footpaths to road maintenance, drainage and stream cleaning, these activities demonstrate how targeted community infrastructure can make a tangible difference to everyday life. Taken together, the four sites visited reflect the range of ways Component 2 pursues its central objective, safer, more resilient, more inclusive urban communities. 

CAUSE II Project Manager Cris Afable said, “A footbridge under construction, a road maintained by local hands, a stream reclaimed by its own youth, and a footpath rising meter by meter – each is a small, concrete step toward achieving the expected outcomes of CAUSE II”.

The PMU and DFAT teams noted that joint monitoring visits of this kind will continue as the sub-projects progress toward completion – with the next round of site visits expected in the coming months.

For CAUSE II, supporting safer and more resilient communities is not only about building infrastructure. It is also about working alongside communities and creating opportunities for residents to contribute to improvements in the places where they live.

Implemented by the Solomon Islands Government, the CAUSE II Project is supported by the World Bank and the Australian Government through the PNG and Pacific Islands Umbrella Facility Multi-Donor Trust Fund.

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