Education has never come easily for Betty. Betty grew up in a small coastal village, tucked away in the beautiful but extremely remote Tufi fjords of Oro Province. Throughout primary school, each day began in pitch darkness at 4:00am. She would navigate bush tracks before climbing into a traditional dugout canoe, paddling hard for an hour across the fjords to reach her classroom. For Betty, education was not an intrinsic right, but something to be fought for. While she loved

At 23 years old, Willie Tahima is determined to change the course of his life through education. Originally from Barevoturu Village in Oro Province, Willie returned to study through KTF FODE after spending six years away from school. His journey back to education is not easy. From his remote village, Willie first travels 75 kilometres by PMV (public motor vehicle) to Popondetta, before catching another PMV to Kokoda. In good weather, the journey takes 3–4 hours -but during th

Can you imagine returning to high school 25 years after you left? For Sandy, it took two decades, unwavering determination, and the support of people like you to make that second chance possible. When Sandy left school after Grade 10, it wasn't because she lacked ambition or determination. Following the loss of her father, family responsibilities meant her education came to an end. But she never let go of her dream of finishing high school. Today, Sandy is married with four c

Community connections came to the fore at last week’s celebration of the graduation of 120 grade 9 to 12 students at Kokoda College, a growing education hub in Oro Province operated by development organisation KTF (Kokoda Track Foundation). Through Flexible Open Distance Education (FODE), Kokoda College supports students from the greater Kokoda catchment who have been unable to complete mainstream schooling to complete their secondary education, or for students to upgrade the

Jendy’s Journey: Chasing Big Dreams through Kokoda FODE

More than 200 second-chance secondary students at Kokoda College can now access reliable, renewable energy with the launch of a solar mini-grid for the campus. This pioneer solar infrastructure project for Oro Province is possible through a partnership between KTF and the Australian Government, launched last year through the Australian Infrastructure Financing Facility for the Pacific (AIFFP) Off-Grid Renewable Energy Partnerships.

Last week, Kokoda College celebrated its largest-ever graduating cohort with 185 students graduating; including 72 students reaching the Grade 12 level. There were history-making scenes at the Mt Koiari FODE Centre in Manari, who celebrated the graduation of 38 students, marking the first Grade 12 graduation on the Kokoda Track.