The official name for Bougainville in Tok Pisin is Otonomos Region bilong Bogenvil— which translates to the Autonomous Region of Bougainville (ARoB) in English. It is the largest island in the Solomons Island archipelago, situated on the border between Papua New Guinea and the Solomon Islands.
The population is roughly 300,000 (as of 2023), with most people living on the largest island, Bougainville Island. Buka Island is over a close stretch of water. Volunteer Service Abroad has offices in both Arawa (Bougainville Island) and Buka (Buka Island).
Although the region is just over 2,300 square kilometres, the terrain is rugged. This makes travel slow on roads and boats. It is a mountainous region covered in forest and sea, making agriculture and fishing vital to people's lives.
The people are resilient, and all are likely to have been personally affected by the civil conflict in the 1990s, but they wish to develop. There are substantial cultural aspects to be considered when living in ARoB, which will be covered in briefings before volunteers depart and upon arrival.
Why volunteer in ARoB with VSA?
VSA has been active in Bougainville for over 25 years. We started in the year 1998 with a programme focusing on response and reconstruction post-crisis. As part of the New Zealand government’s commitment to delivering a ‘peace dividend’, we set up our field office in Arawa (the conflict zone in the 90s). VSA volunteers have since been deployed in Buka, Buin, Nissan, Selau-Suir, Tinputz, and Wakunai districts to name a few. Today, our volunteers work alongside the Autonomous Bougainville Government (ABG) across various community development, education, and health departments, along with local and international NGOs in Bougaunville. Together, we aim to build an overall sustainable Bougainville community.
History of the Autonomous Region of Bougainville
Despite being more culturally, linguistically, and geographically aligned to the Solomon Islands chain to the south, ARoB was politically absorbed into the Australian-administered Territory of Papua New Guinea after World War II, and ultimately into the independent nation of PNG in 1975. Following a devastating conflict through the 1990s, a Peace Agreement was signed in 2001 which included a requirement for a referendum on its political future. The overwhelming vote for independence in the 2019 referendum means that Bougainville’s political future is still a very current question.
Volunteer testimonial
Jared Linnell - Communications Assistant in Buka
'The community bonds within the VSA community here are strong – and with the locals too. There’s a lot of eagerness in the leadership, in the government, to bring Bougainville back into the world. It’s part of a necessarily slow healing process since the crisis and I think there’s a lot of people excited to present their country to the world. For me it’s been a really special experience to be able to contribute to that. I think it’s something very special to look back on.'
