Bryce McGowan – Water Supply, Sanitation and Hygiene (WASH) Adviser in Solomon Islands

Before heading out on VSA assignment Bryce was working as a Contract Manager overseeing operations of town water supplies and drainage systems for a contractor around New Zealand.  

What Bryce is doing in the Solomon Islands

Bryce is working with partner organisation World Vision assisting with the development of water sanitation and hygiene around the Solomon Islands. As Bryce says, “In a country where nine out of every 10 people outside the cities don’t have toilets there is plenty to do”.

He is helping to design water supplies and latrines and review work and budgets with teams around the country. He is also assisting to develop national standards and policy to ensure future works continue to operate once they are constructed. Currently Bryce says over 50 per cent of all water supplies built in Solomon Islands stop working shortly after being constructed. 

Making a positive impact

Bryce says he has managed to take the pressure off a team that was really under-resourced. The team didn’t have the time or the skills to plan and work out improvements. But he feels this is now starting to change.

Bryce’s highlights so far

“I love roughing it during village visits: whether this means going to the toilet in the mangroves or sleeping on a hardwood floor with no mattress. For me, it’s the times when you are treated the same as the locals that I really treasure.”

What the Solomon Islands has taught Bryce

 “Chill out – things could be much worse. Out here they normally are for 99 per cent of the people around you.”

 “Most people who work in the development sector are good people who are great fun to be around.”

“When pushed, the answer will always be yes even if you are asking for something that is impossible.  Here it is much better to say yes and not deliver than say no.  Understanding the shades of ‘yes’ is a real challenge.”