In Buala, two remarkable women are breaking barriers, changing minds, and literally building a better future.
Edith Asa and Nanny Walasi are among the first graduates of Solomon Islands’ pioneering women-only Green Construction Training Program, and they’re already putting their hard-earned skills to work on the Australian supported Buala Market Project.
Edith, now serving as Health and Safety Advisor with Tropic Group Builders Ltd, knows what it means to carry responsibility. “Being the eldest in my family often meant doing work traditionally expected of boys,” she shared. “That experience has shaped me into someone who doesn’t shy away from hard work.”
Her colleague, Nanny, is just as driven. “The machines I’m most comfortable with now are compact machines, circular saws, drop saws, and cut-off saws,” she said proudly. “But I want to keep learning. I want to finish what I’ve started.”
Edith and Nanny are part of a growing wave. Nearly 10,000 Solomon Islanders have been employed on Australian-supported infrastructure over the past five years, including women and people with disabilities. Together, they’re not just building roads, markets, and bridges, they’re building pride, skills, and brighter futures for their communities.
Flory Age Anilafa, Project Coordinator at TGB, is seeing the impact firsthand. “Women like Edith and Nanny are changing perceptions and proving that women can thrive in construction,” she said. “Their participation is a milestone for gender equality in infrastructure, and should be an inspiration for future trainees.”
Indeed, under the SIAusPartnership, these women are defying stereotypes and showing that skill, passion, and perseverance know no gender.
The Buala Market, currently under construction as part of the Solomon Islands Infrastructure Program’s Provincial Markets Redevelopment Project, will be a climate-resilient space for farmers and vendors—and thanks to local women like Edith and Nanny, it’s being built by the very people it’s meant to serve.
Empowered women. Stronger communities. A future built by everyone for everyone.
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