When Lynne Kela heard her fellow students at Balimo College describing the hardships of travel, she knew the power of aviation could overcome isolation.
Story by Tajs Jespersen
Balimo College, where Lynne studies, is a Sustainable Development Program (SDP) funded institution in Western Province.
Lynne Kela grew up going from place to place in Western Province attending a new school every year.
“My first schooling was in Balimo Primary School. That’s where I went and did grade one,” said Lynne. “My grade two, we had to travel to one of the schools down the river, and grade three was somewhere in between Balimo and my village.”
It wasn’t because Lynne was a bad student, that she had to go to new schools each year. Rather, she grew up in a family where serving other people wasn’t limited by distance or location.
“My father was a teacher,” said Lynne. “I was just following my father. Wherever he went, I went.”
Her travels culminated when a new school awaited her in Bituri for grade four.
“I flew with my father to Bituri in the South Fly district,” said Lynne and when asked who she flew with, her response came with a smile: “MAF.”
These experiences, travelling to remote locations with her father, led her on a path to join Balimo Teachers College.
“My father, he inspired me to be a teacher,” said Lynne.
At Balimo Teaches College, Lynne was elected the Vice President of the Student Representative Council (SRC) and she was committed to help fellow students from isolated communities.
There's no way to get here. If I walk, it’ll take three or four days to come
“The first year when we came here, all of us found our own ways to come to the college. It was really tough for most of the students,” said Lynne.
“How many days and nights they spent travelling and coming to places where they almost didn't have anything to eat. As I was elected as the Vice President, these were the things that I addressed.”
Thankfully, her own experiences during childhood meant she knew of the ideal solution for students living far away. MAF flights to Balimo College now bring this next generation of teachers from several remote places around Western Province.
“At the end of 2022, that was when students started flying out by MAF and they were very excited,” said Lynne. “We're really grateful for the support that MAF is doing for us.”
One of those students that depend on MAF is Barnd Bariga, the President of the SRC at Balimo Teachers College.
“There's no way to get here. If I walk, it’ll take three or four days to come, which is a very challenging and difficult trip,” said Barnd.
SDP Chief Executive Officer, Lesieli Taviri, said “We are proud to fund Balimo College to educate future teachers in Western Province and depend on partners such as MAF to ensure the transport of students like Barnd and other logistics needs are met to operate in rural areas.”
Training to become a teacher is a bittersweet journey for Lynne as the father who inspired her passed away just three months before she joined the college in February 2022.
“My wonderful lecturers and my colleagues, they always comforted me until I overcame that situation,” she said.
The Balimo Teachers College is initiated and funded by SDP and implemented in partnership with KTF in Western Province.