Tessie Soi is known throughout

Papua New Guinea Papua New Guinea, officially the Independent State of Papua New Guinea, is an island country in Oceania that comprises the eastern half of the island of New Guinea and offshore islands in Melanesia, a region of the southwestern Pacific Ocean n ...

(PNG) as the founder of Friends Foundation. This organization supports people who have

HIV/AIDS The HIV, human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) is a retrovirus that attacks the immune system. Without treatment, it can lead to a spectrum of conditions including acquired immunodeficiency syndrome (AIDS). It is a Preventive healthcare, pr ...

. She later became involved in supporting victims of family and sexual violence.

Early life

Soi was born in Gaba Gaba village in PNG's Central Province, one of seven siblings. She travelled extensively around PNG in her childhood as her father was posted for work to

Wewak Wewak is the capital of the East Sepik province of Papua New Guinea. It is on the northern coast of the island of New Guinea. It is the largest town between Madang and Jayapura. It is the see city (seat) of the Roman Catholic Diocese of Wewak. ...

Vanimo Vanimo is the capital of Sandaun Province (West Sepik) in north-westernmost Papua New Guinea and of Vanimo-Green River District. It is located on a peninsula close to the Indonesia–Papua New Guinea border, border with Indonesia, nearest to Jaya ...

Madang Madang (old German name: ''Friedrich-Wilhelmshafen'') is the capital of Madang Province and is a town with a population of 27,420 (in 2005) on the north coast of Papua New Guinea. History Nicholai Miklukho-Maklai was probably the first Eur ...

and

Lae Lae (, , later ) is the capital of Morobe Province and is the second-largest city in Papua New Guinea. It is located near the delta of the Markham River on the northern coast of Huon Gulf. It is at the start of the Highlands Highway, which is ...

. She graduated in social work from the

University of Papua New Guinea The University of Papua New Guinea (UPNG) is a university located in Port Moresby, capital of Papua New Guinea. It was established by ordinance of the Australian administration in 1965. This followed the Currie Commission which had enquired ...

in 1982 and began working at the

Port Moresby General Hospital Port Moresby General Hospital (PMGH) is the largest hospital in Papua New Guinea. It is located in Korobosea, a suburb of Port Moresby in the National Capital District. A major teaching hospital, it is adjacent to the University of Papua New Guin ...

in the nation's capital in 1984.

Work with HIV/AIDS

In 1989 Soi spent six months on attachment to Townsville General Hospital in

Queensland Queensland ( , commonly abbreviated as Qld) is a States and territories of Australia, state in northeastern Australia, and is the second-largest and third-most populous state in Australia. It is bordered by the Northern Territory, South Austr ...

Australia Australia, officially the Commonwealth of Australia, is a country comprising mainland Australia, the mainland of the Australia (continent), Australian continent, the island of Tasmania and list of islands of Australia, numerous smaller isl ...

, where she became aware of the impact of HIV/AIDS. On return to PNG, she tasked herself with overcoming the ignorance about AIDS in her country and started to be involved with HIV/AIDS care. At the time, people suffering from the disease were more feared than supported. Together with her husband, who she had married in 1985, she established an

NGO A non-governmental organization (NGO) is an independent, typically nonprofit organization that operates outside government control, though it may get a significant percentage of its funding from government or corporate sources. NGOs often focus ...

, Friends Foundation, with twelve friends, to help people suffering from AIDS. After initially supporting it with their own resources, they found external sponsorship, including funding from the Australian Government. In 2002 and 2003 Soi earned a Master's degree under the AIDS program at

James Cook University James Cook University (JCU) is a public university in North Queensland, Australia. The second oldest university in Queensland, JCU is a teaching and research institution. The university's main campuses are located in the tropical cities of Cair ...

in Townsville. Returning to Port Moresby, she decided to refocus the Friends Foundation on mothers and, increasingly, grandparents who cared for children when both parents had died from AIDS. She instituted the Orphan Buddy System, a programme to help the grandparents pay school fees. Soi later became the clinical manager of the Port Moresby Family Support Centre, addressing issues such as family and sexual violence, and family planning.

Awards and honours

*Soi received a City Pharmacy Limited's "Pride of PNG Award" in 2012 and was invited to be a judge for the 2013 awards. *She received a Westpac Outstanding Women Award (WOW) in 2009. *She was made an Officer of the

Order of the British Empire The Most Excellent Order of the British Empire is a British order of chivalry, rewarding valuable service in a wide range of useful activities. It comprises five classes of awards across both civil and military divisions, the most senior two o ...

in the

2006 Birthday Honours The Birthday Honours 2006 for the Commonwealth realms were announced on 17 June 2006, to celebrate the Queen's Birthday of 2006.Saint Lucia list: Antigua & Barbuda list: The recipients of honours are displayed here as they were styled before t ...

for her services to charity.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Soi, Tessie Year of birth unknown Living people Papua New Guinean social workers University of Papua New Guinea alumni Year of birth missing (living people)