One Solomon Islander who embodies this spirit is Dr. Maryanne One’asi Harihiru Kora’ai, a proud daughter of Malaita Province, a paediatrician, and a dedicated advocate for children’s heart health across the Pacific.

Her journey began in 2009 as a paediatric registrar at CWM Hospital in Suva, where early exposure to paediatric cardiology sparked her passion. She learned from senior clinicians, visiting sonographers, cardiologists, and surgical teams, and in 2019 undertook a paediatric cardiology attachment at Sri Sathya Sai Sanjeevani Hospital in India.

In 2023, she stepped forward as a freelance paediatrician with Maasina Heart Pacifika, serving Fiji and the wider Pacific through early detection of heart disease, strengthening paediatric echocardiography skills, and building local clinical capacity.

“We can learn basic echocardiography skills and make a difference. We cannot afford to rely only on occasional expert visits.”

Dr. Kora’ai’s identity is firmly rooted in Malaita. She is from Are’are with maternal ties to West Kwaio. Raised in Honiara, she spent every year in her father’s village, surrounded by cousins and immersed in the Raroisu’u dialect. At 13 she attended St Joseph’s Tenaru, a place that strengthened her cultural foundation.

At 18 she left for studies in New Zealand and later Fiji, and though she has lived abroad for almost 30 years, she still speaks Are’are. She regrets not passing the language to her children earlier which she says is a reminder that distance is not an excuse.

Recently, she and her husband took their children back to Waisisi, Malaita, for the first time in 15 years.

“It was moving to see them reconnect with their roots — the land, the sea, and the people.”

Her children now hold a renewed sense of belonging and eagerly take part in events such as Solomon Islands Independence Day and Malaita Day.

From her experience, Dr. Kora’ai believes preserving language requires exposure and consistency through intentional teaching at home supported by community and national initiatives like Solomon Islands Language Week.

She reminds us that protecting language and culture is inseparable from protecting our people — their identity, their wellbeing, and their future.