With arguable success, organisations like AusAID have increasingly engaged the PNG government through contractors of technical assistance – a move aimed to increase native decision making power over policy and development initiatives. Under the terms of conventional development practice, decisions had been seemingly forced upon the PNG’s central government. Free universal primary education for example, being a pillar for the first National Education Plan (NEP), was implemented using a model that was simply inappropriate for those areas beyond the National Capital District. Indeed, the same challenges currently haunt the 2ndNEP – serving to highlight the capacity (and capability) gaps between Port Moresby and its neighbouring provinces. Read More
August 9 is National Women’s Day in South Africa. On the 9th of August 1956 over 20,000 women of all walks of life in South Africa marched together to protest against the “pass” laws. Having a pass was the only way that African persons were allowed to enter areas reserved for white people only. Women who were protesting were at risk of arrest, detention and further sanctions on their freedom. Read More
Overall economic or GDP growth is not by itself an accurate depiction of economic recovery and stability in Timor Leste. On the one hand, a burgeoning ‘petroleum’ economy that solely gains revenue from the oil- and gas-rich Timor Sea to the south presents an overwhelmingly positive picture. On the other, the precarious ‘non-petroleum’ economy displays a fragile economic structure typical of a low-income, developing country.
Although the state is anticipated to earn over $1.2 billion in petroleum revenue this year alone and by the end of the year, to have accumulated over $6 billion in the Petroleum Fund, profits in the non-petroleum economy are much less impressive, just $96 million per annum.
The garment industry in Cambodia employs over 300 000 women and is a pillar of the Cambodian economy. The dramatic impacts of the Global Financial Crisis means that, today, textiles is viewed by many as a sunset industry and despite some growth in 2010, too many women are having to turn to the sex industry as their new livelihood when they lose their employment in locally and foreign owned garment factories. Read More
The ten volunteers clambered on board with a few others and some massive bags of rice. Several were quite sceptical of our chances of success while skimming the rugged highlands in a machine comparable to a Barina –chances only worsened by one of the other passengers being on their mobile phone the entire trip. The view, however, was a great distraction. Particularly seeing the recently reopened school from the air as we circled to land in Yangis.
Oaktree is exctied to announce in amazing opportunity for anyone interested in a long term professional career in Aid and Development. Bringing together representatives from some of the most respected organizations in the field including Worldvision, Red Cross, Australian Youth Ambassadors for Development (AYAD) and Medecins Sans Frontieres, this event will give you the practical information you need to prepare yourself for a career in the aid and development sector. Information on what to study, how to get experience and employment opportunities for new graduates.
Places are limited so if you’re interested register here or miss out!
Please find all the details below:
Date: 16 August
Time: 7pm
Location: Sidney Myer Asia Centre (Level 2, Corner Swanston Street & Monash Road, University Of Melbourne).
If you’d like a flyer for all this information, feel free to download it here, but don’t forget to sign up!!
Waiel Wapen Grade 5 at our New School in PNG says -
What do you enjoy most about school? I enjoy being together with other children who are the same age, reading books, doing maths work and having discussions.
What has been your favourite moment at school? Meeting new teachers who come from different parts of Papua New Guinea and also from different regions in the Province. Most favourite moments are, being with my teachers, playing ball games, sharing experiences, reading books, writing stories about Yangia people and many more. Mostly, of all I’m glad that school has been started in 2010, and I am beginning to learn some new things which I had never learnt before.
Read more in the latest Overseas Projects Update!!
After many months of planning, investigation and analysis, the Oaktree Projects Team are extremely proud to announce the selection of Oaktree’s first development project in Cambodia – The Beacon Schools Initiative.
Oaktree has chosen to support this particular project because it seeks to address systemic issues in the formal education system in Cambodia. Beacon Schools Initiative (BSI) is a groundbreaking education project initiated by local NGO, Kampuchean Action for Primary Education (KAPE).
Through the BSI Project our Cambodian project partner KAPE, will select 3 state secondary schools from some of the poorest provinces in Cambodia, and, over the course of 4 years, completely overhaul school operation, management and curriculum to ensure educational excellence for the poorest and most disadvantaged of Cambodian youth.
As you guys know the school in Yangis opened in February for the first time in 15 years!! We have recently received some fantastic news that the parents and community in Yangis are right behind the project. They have already completed two classroom buildings with available materials on site. They are now working on building teacher houses from traditional materials including thatch, clay, banana palm and pine. This is great news given that Pat’s visit discovered less community ownership and motivation than we had previously hoped. This reinvigoration is really due to Pat’s visit and his hard work in pushing the BUPNG to expect more of the community and for the community to expect more from themselves.























