Kia ora, Halo and warm Pacific greetings
Te Whāinga | Our Purpose is
Te Hono Tangata - Te Huringa Ora.
Ka hono a Te Tūao Tāwāhi i ngā tūao pūkenga ki ngā whakahaere me ngā hapori i te Moana-nui-a-Kiwa me tua atu, hei tautoko i ngā wawata kua tautuhia ā-rohe, ā, kia tutuki ai te panoni toitū.
Connecting People – Transforming Lives.
Volunteer Service Abroad connects skilled volunteers with organisations and communities in the Pacific and beyond to support locally identified aspirations and achieve sustainable change.
Mō tēnei tūranga mahi | About the role
This is your opportunity to become a VSA Volunteer to share your experience, skills and knowledge to serve and build capacity in Bougainville. Work alongside our local partner organisation to plan and create a brighter future for all.
We are looking for an experienced Pharmacist or someone with the right level of transferrable skills, who understands and shares the spirit of volunteering, with a keen interest in building capability in the Pacific (while embracing a new cultural experience).
The length of this assignment in Bougainville will be between 6 - 12 months.
VSA will support you by funding and organizing your flights, visas, insurances, accommodation, living allowance and utilities while you are on assignment.
Ngā tino Pūkenga/Wheako – Essential skills/experiences for the role
If you are interested in this opportunity, below are some of the key skills and experiences that we’re looking for.
Our Partner Organisation – Buin Health Centre
The Autonomous Bougainville Government (ABG) Department of Health (DoH) has its headquarters in Buka town centre. The DoH administers its services to the different districts of Bougainville, one of these being the Buin District in Southern Bougainville. The Buin Health Centre (BHC) is situated in Buin town and serves as the only health centre in the southern part of Bougainville. BHC is a 38 bed District Health Centre in Buin District. BHC receives referrals from surrounding health facilities and has a primary catchment population of approximately 36,000 people and a secondary catchment of 80,000. It in turn refers to Arawa and Buka Hospital depending on the clinical assessments.
The Assignment:
The Pharmacy would benefit from additional oversight and advice from an experienced volunteer who could mentor the Pharmacist in all aspects of managing a hospital pharmacy facility including basic digital stock management. There is currently a single Pharmacist working at BHC. Their role is to ensure supply of medications and other consumables for the entire BHC and Buin Southern District. Additionally, they have responsibility to oversee the safe storage all other medical items used by the BHC. The Pharmacist also monitors the supply medical items and attempts to procure replacement items when they run out.
Through the direct contributions of an experienced volunteer, the pharmacy at BHC could operate more efficiently and drugs and vaccines would be monitored and stored safely. These factors would increase the capacity of the BHC as a whole and help move staff towards achieving the above goals by increasing their ability and capacity to deliver a better health care to patients of Southern Bougainville.
The Country - Bougainville
The Autonomous Region of Bougainville, (Otonomos Region bilong Bogenvilin Tok Pisin), previously known as the North Solomons, 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.
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 Bougainville. Together, we aim to build an overall sustainable Bougainville community.
Me pēhea te tuku tono| How to apply:
Apply for this opportunity through our website.
For more information or if you have any questions on this assignment, email volunteer@vsa.org.nz.
To review the full assignment description please copy and paste the below link into your browser:
Applications Close: 18 June 2025
For a copy of the Assignment Description, please click the apply button which will direct you to the VSA website. You will be able to download a copy from the advertisement.
Te Whāinga | Our Purpose is
Te Hono Tangata - Te Huringa Ora.
Ka hono a Te Tūao Tāwāhi i ngā tūao pūkenga ki ngā whakahaere me ngā hapori i te Moana-nui-a-Kiwa me tua atu, hei tautoko i ngā wawata kua tautuhia ā-rohe, ā, kia tutuki ai te panoni toitū.
Connecting People – Transforming Lives.
Volunteer Service Abroad connects skilled volunteers with organisations and communities in the Pacific and beyond to support locally identified aspirations and achieve sustainable change.
Mō tēnei tūranga mahi | About the role
This is your opportunity to become a VSA Volunteer to share your experience, skills and knowledge to serve and build capacity in Bougainville. Work alongside our local partner organisation to plan and create a brighter future for all.
We are looking for an experienced Pharmacist or someone with the right level of transferrable skills, who understands and shares the spirit of volunteering, with a keen interest in building capability in the Pacific (while embracing a new cultural experience).
The length of this assignment in Bougainville will be between 6 - 12 months.
VSA will support you by funding and organizing your flights, visas, insurances, accommodation, living allowance and utilities while you are on assignment.
Ngā tino Pūkenga/Wheako – Essential skills/experiences for the role
If you are interested in this opportunity, below are some of the key skills and experiences that we’re looking for.
- Experience working in a Pharmacy or Medical dispensary
- Experience in stock management and in supply chain management
- Experience of mentoring or coaching staff to build capacity
- Experience in online stock management for pharmaceuticals
- Knowledge of pharmaceutical storage standards
- Membership of a Pharmacists’ professional registration body in NZ
Our Partner Organisation – Buin Health Centre
The Autonomous Bougainville Government (ABG) Department of Health (DoH) has its headquarters in Buka town centre. The DoH administers its services to the different districts of Bougainville, one of these being the Buin District in Southern Bougainville. The Buin Health Centre (BHC) is situated in Buin town and serves as the only health centre in the southern part of Bougainville. BHC is a 38 bed District Health Centre in Buin District. BHC receives referrals from surrounding health facilities and has a primary catchment population of approximately 36,000 people and a secondary catchment of 80,000. It in turn refers to Arawa and Buka Hospital depending on the clinical assessments.
The Assignment:
The Pharmacy would benefit from additional oversight and advice from an experienced volunteer who could mentor the Pharmacist in all aspects of managing a hospital pharmacy facility including basic digital stock management. There is currently a single Pharmacist working at BHC. Their role is to ensure supply of medications and other consumables for the entire BHC and Buin Southern District. Additionally, they have responsibility to oversee the safe storage all other medical items used by the BHC. The Pharmacist also monitors the supply medical items and attempts to procure replacement items when they run out.
Through the direct contributions of an experienced volunteer, the pharmacy at BHC could operate more efficiently and drugs and vaccines would be monitored and stored safely. These factors would increase the capacity of the BHC as a whole and help move staff towards achieving the above goals by increasing their ability and capacity to deliver a better health care to patients of Southern Bougainville.
The Country - Bougainville
The Autonomous Region of Bougainville, (Otonomos Region bilong Bogenvilin Tok Pisin), previously known as the North Solomons, 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.
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 Bougainville. Together, we aim to build an overall sustainable Bougainville community.
Me pēhea te tuku tono| How to apply:
Apply for this opportunity through our website.
For more information or if you have any questions on this assignment, email volunteer@vsa.org.nz.
To review the full assignment description please copy and paste the below link into your browser:
Applications Close: 18 June 2025
For a copy of the Assignment Description, please click the apply button which will direct you to the VSA website. You will be able to download a copy from the advertisement.
We are looking for a volunteer with:
- 6 - 12 month Volunteer assignment in Bougainville
- Share your medical logistics experience with others
- Flights, accommodation and other expenses covered by VSA.
VSA covers flights, accommodation, insurance and some expenses. A living allowance is also provided.
Does volunteering with one of the largest and most experienced agency in international development interest you?