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Kiungui (Pron. King-wi) Kilipi Be’Soer, is a final year law student, at the University of Papua New Guinea. (UPNG) and an active Human Rights Defender We are raising funds for to help with the cost of a medical visit and reviews to Australia to ensure she remains cancer free into the future. This is after a gruelling three-year journey of cancer treatment. This is her story. We are grateful for your support.
Kiungui is the third born, in a family of 5 daughters and one son, all raised mostly by a single mum. (Dad left when the children were still young and had many years of school to complete) Kiungui’s mum is a local hero, founder of a very important local non-government organisation _-Voice for Change- working to empower rural women socially, politically and economically in the challenging traditional, patriarchal context of the PNG Highlands.
Normally, a law degree is a four-year program, followed by one year at the Legal Training Institute, after which one qualifies lawyers for the Bar, and licence to practice. Kiungui is now 30 years old. Her journey through law school might finally span more than twelve years
due to her commitment to support her groundbreaking programs to end conflict and violence and build peace and prosperity in their rural agricultural province.
Kiungui started Uni in 2013 but in 2016, she went home to help build the NGO VfC. At that time, the organisation was new, underfunded and under-staffed. Kiungui multi tasked and became Project Support Officer for two important projects to end violence and promote equality, development and peace.
Kiungui re-enrolled at the Law School in 2017. By 2019, she had completed her Core Law Courses and only had to complete a Major Research Paper (MRP) to get her law degree.
At the end of the 2019 academic year, Kiungui raced home to assist with VfC’s expanding program to End Violence against Women (EVAW). Then COVID hit and made the work harder. Kiungui stayed at home and continued to consolidate VfC’s work to assist women, girls and child survivors of violence. As the number of clients grew, Kiungui established, a Legal Aid Desk, assisting a growing number of clients to the best of her ability knowledge, and referring to her Law Notes and Textbooks and \ Law School colleagues \when she needed professional advice. VfC gained trust and respect as the number of cases being filed up at the Minj District Courthouse caught the attention of the District Court Magistrate and made VfC’s important contribution visible.
In 2022. Kiungui decided to return to Law school to complete her Major Research Paper. She enrolled, but halfway through the second semester was diagnosed with Tongue Cancer. Colleagues in PNG, the wider Pacific and Australia - who know the critical importance of her work for her country - fundraised successfully in 2022/23, Kiungui spent 9 months in Melbourne undergoing miraculous life-saving surgery and radiation treatment. Friends continued to fundraise, and Dr Elizabeth Carew Reid hosted Kiungui and her mother and facilitated generous subsidies form Epworth hospital and a generous team of specialists.
In 2023, Kiungui returned to rural PNG, and after a short break, she continued working as a Project Officer with Voice for Change on a major program for women, Peace and Security. The last of the funds raised. were used for her medical reviews in Melbourne a year ago. It was a very tough journey.
This year 2025 Kiungui found the courage to resume her law studies. She is now back in Law School doing her Major Research Paper on Approaches to tackling Technology Facilitated Gender Based Violence (TFGBV) Legislation in PNG. Kiungui is determined to finish off strongly this year.
It has been a long road and a very tiring and emotionally challenging time for Kiungui. She has some anxious moments about her future in law, but she never gives up. She is determined to complete Law School this year and a year at LTI in 2026. After that she plans to work with the NGO Voice For Change, to strengthen the much-needed Legal Aid Desk.
Kiungui is now due for another round of reviews in Melbourne. Her family have raised money for airfares, and her lovely friends accommodate her, but there are many expenses to cover in the month ahead.
We have set our goal at AU$10,000. We would be most grateful for any donation.
Fundraisers: Sue Finucane and Elizabeth Cox.
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