Ten women who sell their wares at Honiara's central market have crossed the ocean for a different kind of education. Led by Moreno Vavozo, chairlady of the Honiara Market Vendors Association, the group travelled to Fiji for a regional expo aimed at connecting women vendors across the Pacific — and they paid their own way to get there.
The delegation carried handicrafts from provinces across Solomon Islands, a snapshot of the diversity on show at their home market every day. For most of the women, it was the first time they had attended an event like this. Vavozo acknowledged the hurdles: the cost, and the strain of leaving families behind. The payoff, she said, was the chance to see how vendors from other countries produce, package, price and sell their goods, and to explore ideas like exchange markets and cross-border trade between the islands.
The plan isn't just to network and go home inspired. Vavozo tasked her team with actively hunting for skills and products they could develop back in Honiara, then sharing what they learned with vendors who couldn't make the trip. That knowledge-transfer mindset is the real story — for a market community where earnings are modest and every stall is a family's livelihood, one person's expo notes can ripple out to dozens of others.
Her message to Solomon Islands women vendors was blunt and refreshingly unpretentious. Join an association. Get into programmes that build skills and economic independence. And skip the comparison game: as she put it, there's no time for jealousy or copying — the focus should be on learning, because that's part of the daily hustle that puts food on the table.
For travellers, this is a reminder that the Pacific's best cultural exchange often happens far from resorts — at market stalls, where craft traditions, food and enterprise intersect. If you're visiting Honiara's central market or a Fijian craft expo, buying directly from vendors like these puts money straight into women-led businesses and supports exactly the kind of regional cooperation this trip represents. Expect woven goods, carvings and shellwork that vary noticeably from island to island — and don't be shy about asking where a piece comes from. The answer is usually a story.
