Project Didi Australia empowers women and girls to live with hope, dignity and independence after trafficking and violence.
Project Didi Australia was founded a decade ago by Fiona Toll, Leonie Keogh, and Sarah Bartram to support girls at Asha Nepal—survivors of trafficking and abuse—by fundraising for their education.
The three founders, from Canberra, Australia, met while working on projects to improve children's care and women's literacy in Nepal. Witnessing the transformative power of education firsthand, they registered Project Didi Australia with the Australian Charities and Not-for-profits Commission (ACNC) in 2014.
As Project Didi grew, they learnt through Asha Nepal, our key partner, more about the holistic, transformative change needed for survivors of trafficking and abuse.
In 2016, Project Didi pivoted to respond to the emerging evidence on the damaging effects of institutional living on children by supporting Asha Nepal's model of Family Based Care. In 2020, we extended our support to two homes after observing this model of child-centred care provides the stability, consistency and opportunities children need to build meaningful futures.
We continue to support education and have expanded into funding higher education scholarships to support women and girls who are going from strength to strength with Asha's care.
As we move into our next decade, we will continue to support Asha Nepal, as they adapt their innovative and evidence-based programs to best suit the needs of women, girls, and families in their community.
The three founders, from Canberra, Australia, met while working on projects to improve children's care and women's literacy in Nepal. Witnessing the transformative power of education firsthand, they registered Project Didi Australia with the Australian Charities and Not-for-profits Commission (ACNC) in 2014.
As Project Didi grew, they learnt through Asha Nepal, our key partner, more about the holistic, transformative change needed for survivors of trafficking and abuse.
In 2016, Project Didi pivoted to respond to the emerging evidence on the damaging effects of institutional living on children by supporting Asha Nepal's model of Family Based Care. In 2020, we extended our support to two homes after observing this model of child-centred care provides the stability, consistency and opportunities children need to build meaningful futures.
We continue to support education and have expanded into funding higher education scholarships to support women and girls who are going from strength to strength with Asha's care.
As we move into our next decade, we will continue to support Asha Nepal, as they adapt their innovative and evidence-based programs to best suit the needs of women, girls, and families in their community.
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My hope for Project Didi is that it can continue to be at the forefront of generational change for women and girls in Nepal. Project Didi has proved that the smallest idea can change people’s lives. From the beginning, all three of us founders said “even if we can change one girl’s life, it’s worth it”. That seed of an idea has grown into a magnificent tree, nurtured by so many extraordinary people. Fiona Toll, co-founder |
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Our name
Our name, Didi, which is a respectful term for older sister in Nepal, was an intentional choice, reflective of our collaborative and locally-led approach. We believe that local communities are best placed to understand their needs and direct change. We provide funding for locally designed and delivered programs, determined by the needs of the women and girls we support.
Our name, Didi, which is a respectful term for older sister in Nepal, was an intentional choice, reflective of our collaborative and locally-led approach. We believe that local communities are best placed to understand their needs and direct change. We provide funding for locally designed and delivered programs, determined by the needs of the women and girls we support.
We are a 100% volunteer-run organisation.
Our volunteers, and their generosity in time, skills and hard work, are the backbone of what we do.
Our volunteers, and their generosity in time, skills and hard work, are the backbone of what we do.
Our Board
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Chloë Spackman, President
Chloë’s curiosity and care for humanity started at a young age when she accompanied her mother to the homes of recently arrived female refugees to teach them English and support their transition to Australian life. She is fascinated with how we can all lead and contribute through the lens of values and this has informed her work across the higher-education and non-profit sectors, including her current leadership of a not-for-profit working ensure we maximise and share our successes across generations. She has a long-standing commitment to women and girls across a variety of roles, including the initiative she started in 2022 “Improving Democracy: Transforming Parliament for Women”. |
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Clare Bartram, Vice-President
Clare strongly believes that when women and girls live with freedom and equality we all benefit. This belief has driven her to a career raising awareness of modern slavery risks in investments, government and higher education. She inherited a deep connection with Nepal from her mother, PDA’s co-founder, and has been lucky to learn from our local partners through stints working in-country. She volunteers with PDA in between her work with the University of Sydney’s anti-slavery team and hanging out with her little guy, Felix. |
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Alison Thornburn, Secretary
Alison’s passion for social equity inspired her to give up her corporate career and move to Cambodia, where she has worked for eight years promoting disability rights, gender equality and social inclusion. She has seen first-hand the power of locally-led development driven by the needs of the communities it serves, which is central to PDA’s mission. As an alumni of Australian Volunteers International, she believes strongly in responsible volunteering, and is proud to be part of the dedicated team of volunteers at PDA. |
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Merry Cloutier, Treasurer
Having worked for many years as an international consultant, Merry understands the power of listening to those directly involved in a situation to identify the root cause of issues and the best way to deal with them. She believes this must also apply to social issues, such as modern slavery. With a commercial background, her goal is to enable Project Didi to increase their support for their Nepal partners. |
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Kira Osborne, Board Member
Kira has built a career in gender equality and child protection on the foundation that women hold up half the sky. With more than a decade of international development experiences across Asia and the Pacific, Kira is continually inspired by the stories of strength and perseverance generously shared by the communities she has worked with. These stories and the belief that ‘when we know better we do better’ drives Kira to contribute to futures of dignity and hope for women and girls in all their diversity. |
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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