Goretti and Sarah

Goretti is a senior lecturer and coordinator at the Solomon Islands National University. She has a background in physiotherapy, working with communities both at a national and rural level. Growing up in a rural area herself, Goretti recognises the importance of her primary education in developing a sense of identity and belonging in young people.

A member of a small “women-uplift project” based in Honiara, Goretti hopes that participating in the Women’s Leadership Initiative will help her develop the skills and networks needed to assist rural women’s groups in addressing key issues in the community. Using traditional practices such as storytelling, Goretti aims to improve livelihoods in rural communities through empowerment and education.

Sarah has worked and lived in the Pacific for more than 15 years and is committed to improving the lives of women in the region. She has extensive knowledge of gender policy and programming in the Pacific, including in women’s economic empowerment and financial inclusion.

Sarah recently returned from four years in Fiji where she held senior leadership roles as Deputy Country Representative for UN Women's Fiji Multi-Country Office, CARE International’s Pacific Regional Partnerships Director and as Deputy Team Leader of the DFAT-funded Pacific Women Support Unit. Sarah has led teams in the development, implementation and review of national, regional and multi-country programs focused on women’s economic empowerment, women’s political participation and leadership, ending violence against women and girls and gender and humanitarian resilience.