Panango is the product of a chance meeting of Evan Paki, PNG's Ambassador to the U.S., and Adam Tolnay, founder of Learning Enterprises and a PostDoc at Stanford University. Ambassador Paki requested that Adam send a team of Learning Enterprises volunteer to his country. LE wasn't ready to tackle the project, but Adam was. In 2006, he and a team of Stanford undergrads, Nick Benavides, Christa Morris, Chenxing Han, and Jessa Lee founded Panango with the goal of finding and addressing needs as identified by Papua New Guineans themselves. On a 2007 reconnaissance trip, Madang Province locals echoed the Ambassador's request for teachers, and Panango's mission was established. A meeting with Mr. Malek Atua, founder of the Pacific Island Health School, introduced the group to Karkar Island, a roughly 235 square mile volcanic island about a five hour ferry ride north of Madang Town. The idyllic island would become the base for the first volunteers.
During the 2007-08 school year, the team recruited Stanford undergrads for the summer 2008 inaugural trip. Nine intrepid undergrads, joined by team leader Christa, hopped planes in early July for a summer teaching English, science, and math in the most culturally diverse country in the world. In 2008, volunteers taught at five schools on the northern "Waskia" side of the island, including Taleng Primary, Ilu Bangame Primary, Lang Lang Primary, Kidoka Primary, and Karkar Secondary. Volunteers also lead workshops in grant writing for local leaders and afternoon/evening classes in literacy for adults. The success of this first trip in the eyes of volunteers and Karkar Islanders has paved the way for an expanding and evolving Panango.