Meet The Team

Barbara has over 20 years of experience working directly with women, girls, and communities in Bougainville across the areas of peace buildings, gender based violence, leadership and mentoring, and civil society management. She was elected President of BWF in 2021. 

Melvine has been working in the development field for over ten years since graduating from University of Natural Resources & Environment with a Diploma in Tropical Agriculture. After working as a nutrition officer from World Vision, she first started working with BWF in 2018 as a project coordinator. She has worked on a wide range of initiatives including the Young Women Leadership project, the Gud Disisin Gud Lidasip program, on citizen election observation during the 2022 PNG General Election, on the Young Women Peace Education, and most recently on the Young Women Led Climate Adaption Project. Melvine has been acting on the Executive Officers' position since 2025.

Austine has been with Bougainville Women's Federation for the last four years. First two years as Finance Officer and now Finance Manager following his promotion to the position in 2025. I grew up and completed my schooling in Buin with the wisdom and guidance of my grandma, who was the chief of our village. She's not just my grandma; she's my mentor, shaping my values and beliefs. My strong love for her stems from the lessons she taught me about integrity, resilience, and compassion. It's this deep connection that fuels my passion for working with BWF, as I strive to embody the principles she instilled in me, contributing to empowering women and championing gender equality. Beyond my professional endeavours, I find solace and joy in playing soccer and volleyball, activities that remind me of the importance of teamwork and perseverance.

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Julie is a social worker who has worked within the community service sector in Australia for over thirty years and in management roles within the sector for twenty - five years. She has previously lived in PNG for sixteen years and maintains strong connections there. Julie is currently undertaking study towards a Master of Leadership for Development.

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Narolyne started with BWF in early 2022 as their Admin Officer after graduating from Sunrise Business Information Technology. Prior to this she was working as a Secretary for Hosama community based organization HCBO. In early 2024 she was promoted to Research Officer and is currently researching peace and security issues in Bougainville. This is a joint initiative between BWF, Pacific Women Mediator Network, and Fiji (PWMN). This program is run through the Young Women’s Program.

Genevieve started with BWF as a member of the Selau District Women's Federation taking part in trainings for leadership and financial literacy. Following this, she worked as a trainer of trainers, running programs for family business mangement. In early 2024 she joined the BWF national office as a Research Officer focusing on peace and security issues in Bougainville, a joint initiative between BWF, Pacific Women's Mediator Network, and Soqosoqo Vakamarama.