Alumni Profiles
Wycliff Jnr Bakeo: World Sustainable Energy Day
Today is World Sustainable Energy Day, with the 2023 theme being “Energy Transition = Energy Security!”. We speak with Wycliff Bakeo, an Australia Awards alumnus who graduated with a Master of Environmental Engineering and Management in 2014 from Sydney University of Technology. Wycliff is the…
Fremden Yanhambath: Celebrating National Education Day
To celebrate National Education Day, we speak with Australia Awards alumnus Fremden Yanhambath. Fremden graduated with a Master of Leadership & Management – Vocational Education & Training from the University of Newcastle in 2013 and is now the Director for Vanuatu Skills Partnership. He is…
Sera Vurobaravu Liki: Education Opens Doors to Opportunity
Australia Awards alumnus, Sera Vurobaravu Liki, is leading a collective of passionate practitioners as the National Coordinator for Early Childhood Education and Care with the Ministry of Education. This involves working alongside the National Sustainable Development Plan 2016-2030 (The People’s Plan); an overarching guide for…
Erick Andrew: Elevating the Aviation Sector
Erick Andrew is an Australia Awards Scholar alumnus who graduated from the Fiji National University, Nadi School of Aviation, with a Certificate IV in Mechanical Aircraft Engineering. Technical and Vocational Education (TVET) has been identified as a priority area within Australia Awards Vanuatu, aligning with…
Fred Samuel: An Innovator of Technological Advancements
The advancements in ICT and telecommunications have significantly contributed towards globalisation interconnectedness. We have moved into a world where those devising new transformative ideas and technologies provide evolving approaches to our political, economic and social structures. Fred Samuel has played an instrumental role in Vanuatu’s…
Vasemaca Justine Pikioune: Forging Her Way Forward as a Female in Finance
Australia Awards Vanuatu (AAV) alumnus, Vasemaca Justine Pikioune, is a leading figure in Vanuatu’s growing finance sector. She joins a growing number of women who are being recognised for their leadership qualities, particularly in an industry that has previously been considered a male-centred profession. Justine…
Naomi Sisi: Promoting Trade within Vanuatu’s Economic Landscape
International trade and economic growth were two areas highly compromised during the start of the Covid-19 pandemic, forcing many to become innovative within their own domestic markets as a result. Naomi Sisi believes this is a strong area for substantial growth that should be fostered…
Roslyn David: Creating New Norms to Eliminate Violence Against Women and Girls
Vanuatu continues to have the highest rates of violence against women and girls globally with 60 percent of ni-Vanuatu women aged 15-49 years having experienced physical and/or sexual violence. There is now great focus on addressing this issue; acknowledging both the ways this impacts upon…
Aishah Taleo: Harnessing Healthcare to Better Serve a Nation
Aishah Taleo is an Australia Awards Scholarships graduate with a passion to improve the accessibility of healthcare provisions within Vanuatu. It was her zeal for science and an opportunity to volunteer at Port Vila Central Hospital (PVCH) that fueled this ambition and saw her undertake…
Elish Naki: Teaching for a Sustainable Future
Vanuatu geologists play an important role in our everyday lives. Within the context of Vanuatu, a geologist’s role can include conserving soils and maintaining agricultural productivity, helping to discover and extract sources of energy derived from fossil fuels that are used to provide electricity and…