Kokoda has become a magnet for Australians wishing to raise money for various charities and causes. While the causes are noble and the individuals are well intentioned there is some irony in the fact that Australians are seeking to use a track in a country with a subsistence economy to raise funds for a cause in our land of plenty.
There is no doubt that most of these Samaritans know little about the plight of our neighbours in Papua New Guinean before they land in the country. However it is difficult to understand how anybody can spend a couple of nights in Port Moresby then trek across the Owen Stanley Range without observing the squalor of the city and the basic needs of local villagers.
One can only wonder about the depth of observation during their Kokoda experience. Did they drive around Port Moresby with their eyes closed? Did they not communicate with their PNG guides during their trek? Did they not observe the lack of basic health and education facilities in the villages they passed through? Did they not learn about the ravages of HIV Aids in the country?
Did they not think it might be a good idea to share the benefits of their fundraising efforts with a similar charity in PNG?
Or were they so driven by their own ego that their ‘charitable cause’ was really a means to a selfish end?
Others who trek with their eyes wide open realise that at least half of any funds they raise should remain in Papua New Guinea.
Unfortunately it is not easy to ensure the money they raise will be directed towards the cause they nominate in Papua New Guinea. The Kokoda Track Authority, which was established to manage the track, does not have the capacity to facilitate the distribution and monitoring of funds received for local charitable purposes.
A lack of capacity and lack of governance within the Kokoda Track Authority is therefore denying needy villagers of the opportunity to benefit from trekkers who would be more than willing to provide ongoing assistance after they return to Australia.
If we are therefore dinkum in our desire to help our closest neighbour, former mandated territory, wartime ally and fellow Commonwealth member we should endeavour to ensure they get to share the benefits of any fundraising conducted in Australia. But before this can happen authorities in Papua New Guinea have a responsibility to ensure sufficient resources and procedures are put in place to facilitate the transfer of benefits to the intended cause.
Charlie Lynn has led expeditions across the <a href="http://www.kokodatreks.com">Kokoda Trail</a> since 1991, establishing close relations with the villagers along the track. Visit www.kokodatreks.com for more information.
