Mission in one of the remotest schools on earth

Deep in the heart of the jungle lies Nomad Mougulu High School (NMHS), one of the remotest schools on earth.

Mougulu lies in the heart of a rainforest in Papua New Guinea’s (PNG’s) Western Province. The nearest secondary school is a week’s walk away.

According to UNICEF, the United Nations children’s fund, only 56% of PNG’s children currently transition from primary into lower secondary school.

Mission Aviation Fellowship (MAF) partner and missionary Sally Lloyd decided to do something for Mougulu’s young people by founding NMHS, which opened its doors in January 2021.

The daughter of Australian missionaries, Sally and her four siblings – two of whom eventually became MAF pilots – grew up in Mougulu, where she has lived for more than 50 years.

‘Before NMHS,’ says Sally Lloyd ‘Mougulu girls weren’t safe travelling up to the Highlands.

‘Many were subjected to violence and abuse, so parents chose not to send them to senior school. So we promised we’d help them get a secondary education.’

According to a Human Rights Watch report, approximately 70% of PNG women and girls experience rape or assault in their lifetime, making PNG is one of the most dangerous places in the world to be a woman or girl.

The school has 220 students and is expanding rapidly, with an expectation of 300 students later this year. It has eight teachers.

In December last year, NMHS saw its first-ever 10th-grade graduation, with 54 pupils passing their exams.

Because secondary education is so rare in this part of the world, most of the graduates were more than 20 years of age. The oldest was 29.

For many of the students, the journey to school means a difficult and dangerous three-day journey, which is why most choose to board and benefit from food and medical care.

‘To be here without MAF,’ says Sally, ‘it just wouldn’t happen. We wouldn’t be able to offer education to the students, they would just struggle. I love seeing the pilots come in! It’s so difficult when we start to run out of food or supplies.’

MAF not only delivers food, clothing, books and exam papers, it also transports teachers and students, saving them an arduous overland journey. The Christian aviation organisation also delivered the building supplies used to construct the school.

‘Everything we need has to arrive by light aircraft – it’s the only way we can do anything!’ Sally explains.

One of her staff, science teacher Maika Yabua, is a committed Christian who originally wanted to become an MAF pilot, and is the only person in Dodomona, Western Province, to graduate from university with a degree. Having trained as a teacher, he returned to Western Province to support his community.

‘I decided to serve my fellow brothers and sisters who didn’t have access to education, so we would all be in a better position later on. I want my students to eventually become like me. I want to see them prosper.’

Click here for more on Sally's family and background.