Project Overview: The Charles Darwin University (CDU) Sponsorship Project is a collaborative initiative between Charles Darwin University, Australia, and Maiti Nepal aimed at addressing critical social issues such as human trafficking, child abuse, and prostitution since 2023. This partnership is dedicated to supporting marginalized women and children, helping them gain education and vocational skills that enable them to build self-sufficient and independent lives. 

A key focus of the project is the empowerment of women and children through vocational training and education support. Each year, CDU sponsors the education of five students from Maiti Nepal, providing them with opportunities for academic growth and skill development. Similarly, the project offers vocational training in various fields, including beauty parlor services, knitting, tailoring, bag designing, graphics design, and food services etc. These training programs equip beneficiaries with practical knowledge and hands-on experience, allowing them to enter the workforce or start their own businesses.

Objectives: The main objectives of the CDU-Scholarship are as follows: 

∙ To empower children and women through capacity enhancement 

∙ To empower victims and abandoned children in Nepal for self-sufficiency in the face of challenges, with a focus on addressing the employment issue

 ∙ To enable women and children to access employment with improved incentives and salaries for sustainable livelihoods.

 ∙ To make children more advanced with the evolving technologies. 

Major Activities and Achievements:

Through the support of the Charles Darwin University project to date, May 2025, we have succeeded in providing skill-based training to 10 beneficiaries, Beauty Parlor training to 10 beneficiaries, Food and Services to 10 beneficiaries, and personality development training to the students of Teresa Academy. Per year, 5 students are getting educational support from the CDU sponsorship Project. All the beneficiaries who got a vocational training opportunity are working in their particular sectors, which is an achievement for Maiti Nepal. Additionally, 2 students are pursuing their Master’s studies at Charles Darwin University.

For the year 2025, through the support of Charles Darwin University, Maiti Nepal is planning to provide Education support to 5 students for higher studies, and also to provide vocational training such as Florist, Agriculture, Tailoring, Food and Service, Art & Sketch, Beauty parlor to the survivors and the beneficiaries of Maiti Nepal.