Rose and Belynda

Rose has worked in the Papua New Guinea education system for over 20 years, primarily in teaching and management positions. Recently, as deputy principal of a teacher's college, Rose trained students in order to relocate them to the remotest parts of Papua New Guinea. She equipped them with the skills to be creative, resilient and vibrant primary school teachers for communities with little access to high-quality educational services.

After working with a local Sydney nongovernmental organisation that creates sanitary hampers, Rose has been inspired to start up an initiative that improves the sanitation choices available to women living in remote Papua New Guinea. This includes developing reusable sanitary products and creating a sustainable delivery model.

Belynda has worked in Australia and overseas on education sector and international development topics for over 18 years, including early childhood and basic education, Technical and Vocational Education and Training (TVET) / skills development, and social sector financing.

She also holds a Masters in Educational Planning, Economics and International Development from the London Institute of Education, where she focused her research on assessing school readiness in the Pacific. She also is certified in TESOL (Teaching English to Speakers of Other Languages).

Belynda has worked closely with governments and donors in Vanuatu, Solomon Islands, Samoa, Kiribati and Indonesia on evidence-based education policy and community development programs. This includes an innovative pilot leadership program in Vanuatu for schoolteachers and Ministry of Education staff.