Investing in sustainable education, health and equality initiatives throughout Oro Province.

The Kokoda Track winds 96 kilometres through Papua New Guinea’s Owen Stanley Ranges, from Central to Oro Province. Once a World War II battleground, it now symbolises the enduring connection between PNG and Australia. The surrounding region is rich in biodiversity and culture, remote and sparsely populated.

From mountain ranges to coastal villages, the area holds real potential - but faces challenges like natural disasters, limited infrastructure, and law and order concerns. Progress will rely on investment in education, healthcare, and local leadership, backed by strong partnerships that protect both people and place.

Kokoda is our home. For more than 20 years, we’ve been working alongside the people of Oro & Central provinces, keeping the great friendship between Australia and PNG forged on the battlefields of Kokoda alive. Together, with provincial administration, education and  health departments, communities and local leadership, we’ve delivered a suite of projects for sustained impact - greater education and primary health services and preventing and responding to gender-based violence.

​

The Kokoda catchment snapshot:

• Combined population 633,000  - similar to that of the Gold Coast in Queensland;

• Rugged terrain stretches from the mountainous Kokoda Track to the northern beaches;

• Transport is mostly by foot, with limited 4WD-accessible roads, dinghies along the coast and by shopper or small aircraft;

• Income opportunities come from trekking and tourism, oil palm and fishing industries;

• Youth bulge, with almost half the population (46%) under 18 years.