Champion Education Program
Girls spend an estimated 160 million more hours than boys on housework, often limiting their access to learning opportunities. The PSU Champion Education Program was created to improve access to education for refugee girls and young women in Malaysia by addressing the unequal burden of caregiving and household responsibilities.
Developed by Project Stand Up (PSU) a refugee youth-led initiative rooted in Youth–Adult Partnership (YAP) methodology and refugee-led action principles the program was initially supported by the Australian Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade (DFAT) in partnership with Payong and HOST International. A second phase, Champion Education 2.0, later received support from the UNHCR Innovation Service’s Community Connectivity Fund, focusing on strengthening access to information for refugee women and families.
A key innovation of the initiative is the PSU mobile application, designed as a bridge between families and students. It allows users to request a trained “champion” a young community volunteer who offers support when competing responsibilities such as childcare, cooking, or translation prevent a child from attending school. Champions gain leadership experience while helping break down gender norms and encouraging shared family responsibilities.
These lessons are shaping PSU’s ongoing exploration of sustainable, community-driven technology that supports refugee education and youth leadership.