Monash University > News and Events > Monash Memo

Optimism in face of adversity

8 October 2008

Viv Benjamin (right) with Thema Ninjipa from Radio Light PNG.

Nick Bearlin-Allardice is welcomed by former child slaves to a Bal (children's) Ashram, located near Delhi, India.

Monash arts/law students Viv Benjamin and Nick Bearlin-Allardice volunteered for international projects with the Oaktree Foundation, an organisation that aims to empower developing communities through education.

Ms Benjamin, Head of Advocacy at Oaktree, visited Papua New Guinea to help train 25 student leaders of social justice group Voice in advocacy skills and project management.

Papua New Guinea (PNG) faces significant development challenges and members of Voice, from the University of PNG, are dedicated to using their education to advocate and serve their community.

In addition to the training, Ms Benjamin visited the 8 Mile settlement, Port Moresby City Mission Farm and Motupore Island. She also met with Minister for Community Development, and the only female MP in PNG, Dame Carol Kidu and Director Matrix Development Consulting Christopher Dureau.

Ms Benjamin said the trip was an incredible experience with a strong partnership formed between Oaktree and the University of PNG.

"The trip has radically transformed Voice and we are talking with them every day about a continued relationship between the two organisations," Ms Benjamin said.

"Our nightly public lectures about leadership and youth development were packed to the rafters and the visit also had coverage in the major newspapers, both major national radio networks, and national television network EM TV."

Mr Bearlin-Allardice, the Victorian Director of the Oaktree Foundation, was one of 12 young leaders from across Australia who spent three weeks in India and Bangladesh as part of the Our Generations Challenge.

The group met with representatives of the Indian and Bangladeshi government, the UN, and international and national non-government organisations working in the field of development, human rights and disaster relief.

"We met with senior bureaucrats at India's National Planning Commission, India's chief international negotiator on climate change, senior officials from the UN Development Program and UNICEF, and also played cricket with former child slaves," Mr Bearlin-Allardice said.

Mr Bearlin-Allardice said despite the challenges, people in the developing world had tremendous optimism.

"I saw so many examples of the triumph of human spirit over adversity. I think that if people in developing countries are supported initially through education or micro-credit then they have the capacity to lift themselves out of poverty."

For more information about international volunteer projects with the Oaktree Foundation visit the Oaktree Foundation website.