Central Malaita Student Association Blog Site: CENTRAL MALAITA WOMAN TAKES OVER THE DIRECTOR ROLE AT CYP

On 7 February 2007, Ms Afu Leah Billy, took position as the newly appointed Regional Director of the Commonwealth Youth Programme Pacific Centre
Ms Billy was also joined by two new professional staff, Paul Peteru and Sushil Ram who took up positions as programme managers at the Pacific Centre after an interview process that was completed in November 2006.
In a CYP interview with Afu Billy, we find out more about her previous achievements, her new priorities areas, and what her job entails.

When did you join as Regional Director? Tell us a bit about your career history.
I officially joined as Regional Director of the CYP Pacific Centre on the 7th of February 2007. Prior to that (from the 3rd of January 2007), I was working in a designated role for a month; receiving briefings and undertaking tasks related to the new team’s work.
I began my career as a cadet reporter for the Solomon Islands Government Information Service in the late 1970s. I moved to radio (Solomon Islands Broadcasting Service) in the early eighties. In 1983, I became the General Secretary of the Solomon Islands National Council of Women, a job I held for about 5 years, during which time I set up provincial councils of women in all the provinces of Solomon Islands. The Council at that time focused on women in decision making with successes such as enabling more women’s participation on major government and non-government decision making bodies; getting two women elected into the Honiara Town Council, and lobbying three provincial governments to appoint women representatives on their provincial governing bodies. The Council was instrumental in raising awareness on violence against women, which resulted in the setting up of the local Family Support Centre that continues to work in Solomon Islands to this day; addressing violence against women and children.
I left the Council and went for further studies in Australia at the Charles Sturt University in New South Wales from 1989 to 1992. I graduated with a Bachelor of Business (business management). On my return I joined Save the Children Australia (SCA) as Information and Communications Officer. I became the Country Programme Manager in 1998/99. During my time with SCA, the Youth Outreach Programme focusing on peer to peer education and Child Advocacy Programme were initiated and continues today. I left SCA in 2001 to run for the National General Elections but was unsuccessful so took a year off doing consultancy work especially in helping women’s organisations and NGOs with their management and organisational structures. I was responsible for the formation of the Vois Blong Mere Solomon (VBMS) which is now a credible women’s information and communication network in Solomon Islands promoting women’s rights, concerns and aspiration through the radio, print and local TV. In 2003 I moved offshore and joined the Regional Rights Resource Team (RRRT) then, a programme of UNDP based in Suva, Fiji as a Human Rights Trainer. My team worked in 8 Pacific countries (Fiji, Solomon Islands, Cook Islands, Samoa, Tonga, Vanuatu, Kiribati, Tuvalu) and often worked in Papua New Guinea. I left RRRT at the end of 2005, returned to Solomon Islands, and again took one year off. Now I am with CYP.
During my career I have always been involved with women’s development, gender work, youth and children, and try as best as I can to assist any disadvantaged person or group who I am capable of assisting in their various needs.

What does your job entail?
At the onset my two programme managers and I have been heavily involved in ‘fact finding’, ‘stock taking’ exercises through literature research, meeting and networking with potential and current partners, development partners, donors, young people and young people’s organisations, governments, etc. It also involves a lot of travelling for my two programme managers to attend workshops, conferences and seminars that implicate on young people in the Pacific. When we have collected sufficient information and identified partners we will be able to plan for the regional and country programmes in the Pacific. It is hoped that by October when we hold the Regional Advisory Board meeting in the Cook Islands, the CYP South Pacific Centre professional staff will be able to submit a draft strategic plan for the Pacific for the next years which will contain what we consider are well thought-about programmes and activities for Pacific youth that have resulted from wide consultation with policy makers and young people themselves; and which we will endeavour to ensure will be ‘steered’ by young people themselves.

What encouraged you apply for the post as Regional Director of the Pacific Centre?
My cousin who is a former Parliamentarian and a great believer in my abilities encouraged me to apply for the post. At the professional level I have worked in regional and international organisations in management, policy and advocacy positions and am used to the core expectation of the requirement of the post which in my view is leading a team of two programme managers and developing a strategic plan for the South Pacific region that will be regionally focussed but also tailored to country specifics. My interaction with people at all levels gives me the confidence to network and forge partnerships. On a more ‘young people’ level my simple and friendly nature is non threatening to many young people who usually feel very comfortable discussing with me. I am a feminist and a human rights defender and hence believe strongly in justice and non discrimination and that all human beings are equal regardless of their background and should be treated with respect.

What challenges do you envisage in your new job?
The challenges are many but the following are probably the major ones:
a) developing with my two programme managers a CYP South Pacific Strategic Plan that strikes the right balance between regional programmes and country specifics; involves programmes that are realistic and appropriate to the individual country needs that are results based and sustainable for young people as well as programmes that could be run at the regional level but will still benefit these individual countries through their regional representation;
b) establishing sound partnerships with the government’s of the South Pacific countries that the CYP is responsible for as well as managing regional CYP bodies such as the Regional Youth Caucus and the Regional Advisory Board especially on facilitating a two way interaction between them and us at the Centre so that we are able to advice each other as well as support each other and be able to listen to each other even if what is being said may not be the expected;
c) to properly manage our finances so that funds allocated are spent effectively on real needs of young people to meet to bring about sustainable positive results for them.

How do you find your team?
I cannot ask for a better team. Paul Peteru and Sushil Ram my programme managers and my Solomon Islands support staff have proved during our short time together that we are a team. We have our own management styles but we support each other and constantly communicate with ourselves and try to use our differences to enhance our work. The recent visit of Mr. Matthew Neuhaus and Mr. Albert Mariner from the Political Division of the Commonwealth Secretariat brought out the team work when all CYP staff cooperated to provide the two visitors from London an enjoyable and informative hour with the staff at the CYP Centre in Honiara.
The team work is again being displayed by everyone’s efforts to organise the Commonwealth Day celebrations.

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