When Caroline Rotich stepped off the plane in Nairobi in 2019, she carried more than her Master of Public Health degree from the University of Melbourne. She carried ideas, confidence, and a determination to act. Back in her home county of Uasin-Gishu, she found that the grassroots NGO she once worked with, Kerio Rights Organization, had gone quiet. Rather than let it fade, Caroline stepped in to breathe new life into it, rebuilding it into a vital local force for gender justice, focused on addressing gender-based violence and empowering women across her community.

Her story was shared with me recently by a colleague from our Australia Awards Africa program. Caroline is an alum of the Australia Awards, and she now dedicates her life to advancing gender equality and social justice in her community. She is one of many graduates whose post-scholarship impact demonstrates the far-reaching power of people-to-people engagement.

A Legacy of Cooperation and Diplomacy

The Australia Awards program traces its roots to the 1950 Colombo Plan, a post-war effort to promote regional development and cooperation. While its delivery has evolved, the core idea remains constant: scholarships, fellowships and short courses offered to emerging leaders from developing nations for postgraduate study and professional development in Australia. These scholars return home equipped not only with knowledge, but with relationships that support long-term engagement and mutual trust with Australia.

The Australia Awards have always been more than an education program; they are about people-to-people diplomacy — about building lasting, human connections that become the foundation for collaboration across borders.

Scope and Reach

In 2024 alone, Australia invested nearly $270 million in Australia Awards programs, with over 1,550 long-term scholarships offered across 55 partner countries. Palladium has partnered with the Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade (DFAT) for years to deliver these programs in Africa, South Asia and Mongolia, and also manages the New Colombo Plan, supporting Australian undergraduates studying across the Indo-Pacific.

The Australia Awards alumni network now exceeds 100,000 members, including former presidents and prime ministers. These alumni not only become changemakers at home but often serve as informal ambassadors of Australian values and expertise.

But numbers alone don’t capture the true impact of the Australia Awards. It is the relationships formed, and the effort invested in them, that define the program’s success.

Deepening the Public Diplomacy Dividends

Across our decades of scholarship delivery experience, one lesson remains clear: the influence of the scholarship program lies in the power and longevity of people-to-people connections, and connections don’t just happen on their own.

On Australia Awards Africa, the breadth of our alumni network is significant, spanning more than 50 countries. Just last year the program saw strong alumni engagement, with 4,955 contactable alumni (80% of the total alumni database) and a high participation rate in alumni networking activities. Social media outreach also expanded, with thousands of alumni engaging with success stories of their peers and sharing their own stories from across diverse sectors and countries.

In South Asia and Mongolia, the AASAM program has run annual regional workshops since 2015, recognised by DFAT as best practice. These workshops give alumni a platform to share their work, expand regional collaboration, and strengthen sector-based Communities of Practice.

Past themes have aligned with Australia's development priorities, including climate resilience, gender equality and innovation. In 2024, these gatherings helped catalyse new initiatives such as a Regional Women in Leadership Network and a Male Allies for Gender Equality Network.

Putting alumni at the centre of the experience means they don't just receive support, they help shape the direction of the program itself. That ownership is what turns scholars into advocates, and education into enduring partnership.

Towards a More Connected Scholarship Model

Last year DFAT announced the Australia Awards Global Support Mechanism (AAGSM), which will help the agency respond to the demand for evolved scholarship program delivery architecture well into the future.  Palladium was recently awarded the AAGSM Program Support Unit, which will provide technical, analytical and operational support to evolve the program in line with modern development needs.

Together with DFAT, this next chapter will see us work on developing an enrichment and linkages framework that better engages scholars and alumni across the entire scholarship lifecycle.

Alumni engagement isn’t a postscript to the scholarship experience. It is a core part of the strategy. Consistent communication, meaningful reintegration support, and purpose-driven alumni networks are what create a long tail of impact.

An Investment in the Future

Building a network of alumni with valuable connections to Australia takes finesse and work – it doesn’t happen on its own. There must be consistent and equitable communication across the full scholarship lifecycle, as well as carefully planned enrichment activities including networking events, professional development, leadership development, and reintegration support. Only then can alumni be supported to become brand ambassadors and change agents who view Australia in high regard.

Across the region, where alliances are shifting and soft power is increasingly contested, the strength of people-to-people public diplomacy has never been more vital.

Australia Awards scholars return home carrying more than degrees — they carry connections, understanding, and goodwill that help promote Australia's vision for an open, resilient, and prosperous region. As Australia navigates a shifting regional order, investments in human connection will remain among its most strategic and enduring advantages.

Jo Simpson is Director of International Higher Education of Palladium’s Asia-Pacific Senior Leadership and oversees the APAC Scholarships portfolio of government funded scholarship and mobility programs, including Australia Awards, the New Colombo Plan and the Defence Cooperation Scholarship Program.