Financial Year: 2009-2010 - The Oaktree Foundation

a snapshot of our developmental philosophy (cont.).Finally, Oaktree will continue to identify and supportprojects that not only provide short-term benefit butare also capable of being upheld by the communitylong after we are gone. In this way we will ensure thatthe outcomes of the project are sustainable and notcontingent on our involvement. To create the necessarysense of community ownership, Oaktree will partner withprojects that make a conscious effort to strengthen thecapacity of developing communities and individuals sothat they can take charge of their own lives.This process of revising our development philosophy is anexciting milestone for Oaktree as we seek to become anincreasingly credible and effective aid and developmentorganization. It speaks to our growing maturity that we areable to recognize the limitations we face with a relativelysmall budget in the sector as a whole. At the same time,it carves out a strong niche for Oaktree’s developmentwork, and taps into the enormous goodwill and networksthat exist for our work in connecting young Australians toour region.PROJECTSIN 2010A SCHOOL REOPENED INPAPUA NEW GUINEAAT the beginning of 2010 Oaktree reopened a school in a remotecommunity called Yangis, in the highlands of PNG. This momenthas been in the making since 2007 when Oaktree sent 8 localpeople to teaching college in Madang – a local solution to theshortage of government teachers in Yangis due to cultural, andgeographical isolation. The first lot of the teachers returnedto Yangis this year to open the school which has been closedfor the past 15 years. 500 students turned up at the school,demonstrating the hunger for education and knowledge in thisremote place.A group of Oaktree volunteers recently returned to Yangis tofind the school up and running, with two new bush classroomsbuilt by the community to service the demand, and even someof the adults getting involved as teachers aids. Still only in itsfirst year, the school has generated dramatic improvementsin health and hygiene through educating students aroundthese issues, and the previously warring 14 clans of Yangis havejoined together on the School Management Board and agreedto peace in order to attract further services to Yangis. We haveseen some incredible outcomes in 2010, and are excited forthe return of the remaining teachers in early 2011!16 17