Raised amongst conflict, Claire Kouro wants to keep knowledge alive in Papua New Guinea

For almost a decade, Claire’s family in Port Moresby had no way of reaching their relatives in Bougainville. They didn’t know who was still alive, or what conditions they were living in. 

That experience initially motivated Claire to pursue a career in development communications in Papua New Guinea (PNG) and across Melanesia. She coordinated events, developed communication materials for public health campaigns, and worked alongside government and non-governmental organisations to help promote various development projects.  

However, after working for a decade in the sector, she wanted to gain more weight behind her voice. In 2023, she was selected for an Australia Awards Scholarship. Being only one of only 90 successful applicants from a pool of over 3,000 people, she made the tough decision to leave her family and move to Melbourne to pursue a Master of Global Studies at RMIT.  

As Claire prepares to graduate, we spoke to her about her life, her experience as an international student and her post-study aspirations. 

Where in Papua New Guinea are you from? 

I am a Siwai woman from the Autonomous Region of Bougainville, though I have lived in Port Moresby since 1986.  

Bougainville’s history is a very important part of who I am and motivates much of what I do, both socially and professionally. During the Bougainville conflict, my family in Port Moresby could not communicate with our family in Bougainville.   

Why was this experience a major motivating factor in your life? 

People in Bougainville experienced major disruptions to their education. Many people were denied formal education during the conflict. Yet, they still developed other forms of important knowledge through their connection to culture and lived experience in the community. 

Those of us who lived away from Bougainville missed out on skills that are part of growing up in Siwai – building a house, hunting, weaving, reading the forest and recognising footprints. Some of us never learned to speak our language fluently. I started a movement called Siwai Sisters Nonotu to create a space where elders could share their knowledge with younger generations and we could reconnect.  

Could you tell us more about Siwai Sisters Nonotu? 

Siwai is both an administrative district and a cultural group in Bougainville. Like many communities across the region, Siwai has a strong matrilineal social structure, where women have important relationships with and responsibilities for land, family and community. 

There are cultural protocols, obligations and language that women need to know, practice and pass on. Many women like me have lived away from home for much of our lives, so we are not practicing our culture daily. There is a real danger that some of this knowledge – and parts of our history – will be lost, particularly for children growing up away from Siwai. 

The project has been on hold while I've been in Australia, but it’s a passion of mine, and even as our culture changes, I want our future generations to be connected to where they came from. 

After a decade in development work, why come to RMIT for the Master of Global Studies? 

Working in communications and strategy across Melanesia, I observed a disproportionate number of international versus local representation when it comes to setting strategic priorities and deciding how development initiatives are implemented. 

I wanted an Australian qualification that would give me greater leverage: not only to be “at the table”, but to have greater weight behind the decisions I contribute to. I also wanted to understand the theoretical frameworks often used to justify development in PNG, so I could question them and think critically about how they’re applied. 

Has it been hard to be away from home? What advice would you give to students studying away from their loved ones? 

Being away from home has definitely been difficult. I miss my three boys, who are 15, 13 and 2, as well as my husband and my two sisters. We are a very tight-knit family and normally spend weekends and holidays together. 

My advice for anyone studying away from their community is to reach out to the people around you. Talk to people in your class, on the tram or at the library, find the social media pages for your community, and get involved in local activities. It also helps to find something that looks after you. For me, that’s art. Whenever I’m stressed, I draw, paint or listen to music, and that’s why I volunteered with RMIT Creative. It has been an amazing feeling to help create that kind of safe space for other people on campus. 

Most importantly, though, look after your wellbeing. RMIT has an excellent student support system, so make the most of it. I have used study support at the library, counselling, the Medical Hub and RUSU's food programs. 

What do you want to do with your degree? 

I would like to establish a network of information and resource hubs in key locations across PNG, particularly for civil society organisations. I imagine them as one-stop shops where people can use the internet or have access to printing, build networks and access information about what is happening in the country. Civil society organisations could also use them to share news, information and contacts. 

I would like to work with the PNG Government or a government tertiary institution to pursue these ideas, bringing together my experience in development communications with what I have learned about governance, public policy and development. 

I want this degree to help me bridge the gap between policy, development practice and communication, so that decision-making is more accessible to communities. 

--  

If you’d like to get in touch with Claire, you can contact her through her LinkedIn Profile.