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Last year, we introduced you to our inspiring Board. This year, we're excited to introduce you to the rest of our team. Please join us as we travel across Australia (and occasionally overseas!) to introduce you to our fantastic volunteers. This week, we’re heading to London to meet Elli Agathocleous, who is originally from Sydney but relocated last year. Elli has been supporting our 2020 #SomethingForSlavery campaign to inspire action to end modern slavery. Why is volunteering important to you? I am strong believer that although it takes many to drive resounding change, that movement can start with an individual who makes the decision to act. By volunteering I am making a conscious decision to act for positive change. What is a trip that changed you and why? There are two trips! Visiting Cyprus (where my dad grew up) in 2000 when I was 10 years old. It was the first time that I realised how being away from the distractions of big cities and material items could bring happiness. The village, where my dad's family still live, is a world away from where I grew up in Sydney. The community thrives by sharing what they have - my grandfather, the local butcher, reared animals on his farm, my uncle grows fresh fruit & veggie, my aunties make fresh haloumi, yoghurt and bread. There was no need to ever go to the shops! The second was a visit to Fiji (where my mum grew up) when I was 15/16 years old. I became acutely aware of how privileged my upbringing had been. We never had to worry about a supply of clean water, having a roof over our head, where our next meal was coming from or having electricity. Coming face to face with the struggles of the local communities, particularly in smaller villages, opened my eyes to the things I took for granted. I was as fascinated with life in Fiji as with my father's village in Cyprus - the simple pleasures in life, spending time with friends & family, sharing stories over good food and appreciating how the ocean sustained the joy & happiness in these communities. 
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Chloë Spackman A reporter once asked A.J. Muste, a Dutch born American clergyman and pacifist who protested against the Vietnam War, “Do you really think you are going to change the policies of this country by standing out here alone at night in front of the White House with a candle?” Muste replied softly, “Oh I don’t do this to change the country. I do this so the country won’t change me.” In a world so complex, so overwhelmed with systemic poverty and injustice, it can be flummoxing and down-right exhausting deciding where your precious effort and resources should go, and even more so, understanding whether you are having any real impact. 2019 was my first year formally involved with Project Didi as President of the Board, and this role has been my own lit candle: the time I give and the work I do is my act of service to what I think is truly important. It has kept me tethered to the legacy I want to create in my life. I imagine it is the same for our supporters and the Project Didi community broadly.  There are many important causes in the world, and we as individuals cannot address every single one. What is important is that something about Project Didi’s mission resonated with you as it does with us. And you made the conscious decision to allocate your time or energy or resources to this community. You, like us, understand how precious women and girls are to this planet. How critical education is to the lives of women, their families and their communities. You understand how critical it is to address the urgent crisis of trafficking and modern slavery. How central child rights are to a flourishing world. How everybody loses when gender inequality goes unchallenged.  We expanded our trips offering two new opportunities to travel to Nepal  We were thrilled to partner with Fernwood Tuggeranong, a female gym and health club in Canberra, to run a trip in March. We ran our first Women Empowering Women trip with nine women from across Australia. These trips provide valuable funding for critical care for survivors of trafficking and abuse, but they also are an opportunity for our community to gain an understanding of Nepal and the complexities facing women and girls through meeting Nepali community leaders, artisans and entrepreneurs. Travel with us in 2020! Read more about our trips over on our blog & sign up below to be the first to know about this year's trip. We continued our strong partnerships in Nepal We're proud to mark 5 years in our partnership with Asha Nepal. We supported the development of the growth of the women-led catering program with new women undertaking training. The women also landed a catering booking for a 5-day local government training session for over 30 people! Both our women's trips to Nepal enjoyed cooking alongside the women in their homes. It’s been a week since we waved goodbye to these 9 brilliant women who joined us on our women empowering women trip, making it the 7th trip we’ve taken to Nepal.  We’re grateful that they chose to travel this way. Through the trip's contribution to our work in Nepal and through the women-led organisations we support through our tourism, the trip opens opportunities for women and girls, who have experienced adversity, discrimination, trafficking and violence.
But who is empowering who? It is our intention that it goes both ways, that the trips are a shared learning experience. You can think of it a bit like Nepal’s roads where everything and everyone is going all directions (with the occasional cow added into the mix!). Despite the different destinations, the shared journey is the fun bit! Emerging unscathed from the Nepali traffic, here's what we learnt on our most recent trip. This week we're in Sydney to introduce Board Member, Chloë Spackman, who joined our team earlier this year. What is your day job? My 365-day job is being a mum to my curious, chubby-cheeked one year old, Augie. My other day job is as Director of Programs at non-profit the Australian Futures Project. The simplest way to explain what we do at Australian Futures Project is to say that we're committed to ending short-termism in Australia by understanding the root causes and then engaging leaders, experts, and the public to identify and implement systemic solutions. At Project Didi, we’re all about empowering women to bring about positive change. Which women do you look up to? There are so many, and thanks to a world of democratised technology I can follow them and connect with them all over the world. You wouldn't know it when you look at mainstream media or entertainment, or the data around female leadership in business or sport or government - but I see and hear stories every day about incredibly talented, resilient, unique, uncompromising and unapologetic women doing things that change lives and history. I find every story and every little action inspiring. Here's an example I just read five minutes ago about Indigenous women bringing their knowledge of country to fight fires and abate greenhouse gases as rangers.  Chloë in Lijiang Old Town whilst on a cycling tour of the Yunnan Province in China. This week we're taking you to Nepal to meet Clare Bartram, who recently joined our Board. Clare, who normally calls Canberra home, has been a volunteer with us since the beginning. She and Kira are in Nepal leading our women empowering women trip. What would you share about Nepal with someone who hasn't been? Nepal has an awesome community of young entrepreneurs, innovators and artisans - and it's growing! There is a really positive movement towards made in Nepal, keeping creative talent and production local. In the absence of effective government action, grassroots solutions are emerging. Youth marches to #Strike4Climate, a revitalisation of traditional Nepali fabrics in ethically made fashion and Kathmandu's waste turned into homewares (tackling the city's major waste management problem). We could learn a lot from Nepal's entrepreneurs! What's your day job? I'm a student! I've just started a Masters in Slavery and Liberation with the University of Nottingham, the first course of its kind. I'm learning about the incredible citizen-driven movements that ended the slave trade in the 19th century, right up to trafficking and forced labour in the supply chains of modern companies, that make the products we buy. It's fascinating and challenging - I'm lucky I get to take a year focus on this and Project Didi.  Clare with the Asha Nepal team, our partner in Kathmandu. Meet our fantastic team! This week we're in Sydney with Bryce Morton, who recently joined our Board. As you know at Project Didi, we're all about strong futures for women. Why do you believe it is critical to invest in women? There are a lot of answers to this question, and aside from the fact that women deserve the same agency, freedom, and dignity as anyone, I see the amazing potential for the betterment of Nepalese society (and the world as a whole!) that comes from empowered women. What would you share about Nepal with someone who hasn't been? Hot honey lemon ginger – a truly life changing drink. On a more serious note I wouldn’t share anything as much as I would strongly encourage people to travel to Nepal, it’s such an incredible place that words struggle to do it justice.  Bryce (far left) with a group of friends hiking in the snowy mountains. Join us as we travel across Australia to introduce you to our wonderful team. This week we're in Sydney with Kira Osborne, who recently joined our Board. What would you share about Nepal with someone who hasn't been? It’s not “just like India” – people often ask this and I passionately respond with a rant about how different the countries are. Nepal is slower and softer, it has a sense of calm even amongst the chaos. What is your day job? Haha which one!!?? I work as a senior policy advisor in child protection and violence, abuse and neglect for the Ministry of Health. I also convene the Masters of Community Development at UNSW, and I work freelance as a research consultant with marginalised communities in informal settlements in South Asia.  Kira on a day off from a research project in Bangladesh.
“Amazing”, “spectacular,” and “sensational” were just a few of the words our Fernwood Tuggeranong trekking group used to describe their recent trip to Nepal with us. Seeing Everest, learning to cook a traditional Nepali dinner and experiencing first hand the work being done to support survivors of trafficking and abuse were just some highlights.  We were blessed with perfect weather and the adventure kicked off with a trek along the first leg of the Everest Base Camp trek where the group got a taste of village life in remote areas of Nepal, spent a day in the traditional Sherpa trading centre of Namche Bazaar, and saw spectacular views of the Himalayas, including Everest and Lhotse. Most had never travelled to Nepal and many hadn’t trekked, overcoming personal challenges they never thought possible, such as a fear of flying in small planes (we flew into Lukla to start the trek), walking along suspension bridges and completing a relatively challenging trek.  Back in Kathmandu the group spent time at our local partner, learning about the issues of trafficking and abuse in Nepal and the work being done to support survivors. We were also treated to a traditional Nepali lunch prepared by the team at our partner. Delicious! The following day the group learnt how to cook a traditional Nepali dinner of dahl baht and vegetable curry in our partner's family based care homes, small family units for children who have survived trafficking or abuse with a mother who is a survivor herself. The cooking class is a recent Project Didi initiative to provide income generation opportunities for the mothers. A visit to the home also allowed the group to see first hand the positive impact family based care has for survivors. Read more about our family based care.
Other highlights included tours of the UNESCO World heritage Bouddhanath, Durbar Square and the Ason Tole markets in Kathmandu. The tour was a huge success and judging by the feedback enjoyed by all - so much so that plans are already underway for another Fernwood Tuggeranong tour next year!  We would like to thank Fernwood Tuggeranong and the participants for making the trip so enjoyable and memorable, enabling us to raised funds to continue our work in Nepal and most importantly raise awareness of the issue of trafficking. Words & images: Leonie Keogh, Project Didi co-founder and Board Member
Almost every day in Nepal is a celebration! From the Buddhist New Year Lhosar, to Hindu festivals worshiping Gods and Goddesses for prosperity, marital happiness, the triumph of good over evil and even to protect against snakebites, Nepal's festivals reflect its diversity and vibrant culture. We asked our fantastic volunteer, Sabina Maharjan a Kathmandu born, Canberra local, to tell us about the significance of Nepal's festivals. Today is Shri Panchami. This auspicious day is dedicated to Goddess Saraswati, the Hindu Goddess of knowledge, music, arts, wisdom and learning. Most Hindus observe this day as highly significant in their journey of learning.  Most people are aware that Deepawali is significant for worshiping Goddess Lakshmi, the goddess of wealth and prosperity and Dashain is significant for worshiping Goddess Durga, the goddess of power and valor. Similarly, Shri Panchami is significant for paying respect to the Goddess Saraswati, the goddess of knowledge and wisdom. Shri Panchami is also widely known as Basanta Panchami, marking the beginning of spring, offering relief after a harsh winter.
Growing up, Shri Panchami was a very important day in my childhood. I believed that if I worshipped the Goddess with due diligence on this day, I would become wiser and more knowledgeable. I would visit Saraswati temples with my friends early in the morning with high hopes of receiving the holy blessing. Although I am now a grown up, I am still keen to learn something new everyday. I hope to learn from my surroundings and the environment I live in, and from every person I interact with. We are all always hoping for something or the other, and it is this very emotion that keeps us motivated and determined.  Sabina in beautiful Nepalese dress.
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Project Didi Australia is committed to restoring hope, dignity and independence to women and girls in Nepal, who have experienced trafficking and gender-based violence, through trauma-informed care, family strengthening and reintegration, education and employment pathways.
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ABN 68 320 267 277
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