Australia Awards South and West Asia

Prakriti Budha Magar is a lawyer and an Indigenous woman from Nepal who completed a Master of Social Justice (Human Rights) at the University of Sydney earlier this year with the support of an Australia Awards Scholarship. In discussing her Scholarship journey, Prakriti highlights the insightful learnings she gained, both from her academic study and from extracurricular activities.

“I chose to pursue a Master of Social Justice because of its interdisciplinary approach to development, peace and conflict, and human rights, all examined through the lens of social justice,” Prakriti says. “This course aligned perfectly with my aspiration to build expertise in addressing human rights and social justice challenges back home and to amplify my work as a human rights lawyer in Nepal.”

Prakriti’s experiences at the University of Sydney included several opportunities for extracurricular development. Through the university’s Sydney Policy Reform Project, she was part of a volunteer team that authored a policy brief for the Australian Human Rights Commission titled Challenges and impact of male-dominated workplaces for women, transgender and gender-diverse workers, under the guidance of university academics. This real-world experience of addressing policy reform issues enriched her study.

Prakriti (middle, in pink saree) featured with other Nepali scholars at the 2024 Australia Awards Year End event in Sydney.

She was also selected through the university to participate in a 12-day Master of Social Justice food justice program in southern India, where she engaged with academics, non-governmental organisations, community seed banks, farmers’ organisations and subject-matter experts. The experience, she says, “offered critical insights on the intersections between food injustice and broader structural social inequalities” such as caste, class and colonialism. She also learnt about the impacts of the erosion of Indigenous knowledge systems, loss of seed biodiversity, farmers’ debt cycles and climate-induced migration.

Prakriti says that she is equally thankful for the “transformative opportunities” she received to engage with Indigenous communities across Australia, including Gadigal, Koori, Adnyamathanha, Dharug, Ngunnawal, Badimia Yamatji, Pitta Pitta Wangkamahdla, Anangu, Ballardong and Whadjuk Noongar peoples.

Such experiences—which she describes as “most memorable”—included participating in a University of Sydney campus walking tour with Indigenous Elder Uncle Jimmy Smith, and Australia Awards Indigenous Engagement activities such as an immersive cultural experience in South Australia’s Ikara-Flinders Ranges with Adnyamathanha guide John Solar, a Bundeena Indigenous bush walk with Elder Richard Campbell and a traditional Aboriginal weaving workshop with Ronnie Jordan. Prakriti says that these activities introduced her to important Aboriginal concepts and practices, such as yarning circles, smoking ceremonies, cultural stories, different ways of knowing, Indigenous knowledge systems and connection to Country.

Prakriti (right) pictured with Elder Richard Campbell during the Bundeena Indigenous bush walk.

Prakriti was also a panellist alongside Dr Julie Ballangarry at an event to celebrate International Day of the World’s Indigenous Peoples, and served as a speaker for a NAIDOC Week discussion with Australia Awards scholars from South Asia and Mongolia, which was held to celebrate Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples’ history, culture and achievements.

In addition, she was able to take up several opportunities for professional development through Australia Awards. In November 2024, she moderated a panel on gender equality and intersectionality at the Australia Awards Scholars Forum in Canberra. In May 2025, she developed her communication skills by participating in Communication Strategies for Becoming an Inspiring Leader, an online course organised by Australia Awards.

Prakriti (Far left) participating in the 2024 Scholars Forum as a panellist.

Prakriti also received an Australia Awards Professional Development Grant to attend the Leading in the Law: 2025 Legal Summit, organised by UNSW’s Centre for the Future of the Legal Profession, which she describes as “a highlight of my professional growth”. She adds, “The sessions, such as ‘Women in Law’, ‘Breaking Barriers’, and ‘Access to Justice’, expanded my understanding of systemic and personal barriers faced by marginalised communities in accessing justice. The sessions also explored the evolving role of women in law and the broader social justice implications of gender inequality within the legal profession.”

In particular, Prakriti singled out Judge Nell Skinner’s insights on Indigenous communities’ mistrust of legal institutions, and the role of class in access to legal services, as providing critical context on why the justice system needs to be inclusive, accessible, fair and equitable for all.

“Overall,” she says, “the exposure to leading thinkers and practitioners in the field, coupled with the practical discussions on enacting meaningful change, provided me with the knowledge and tools necessary to continue my work in human rights law with a focus on social justice.”

Australia Awards recognised Prakriti’s engagement in these professional development activities, and she achieved gold-level status in its Scholar Champions Program.

Looking back at her choice of degree, Prakriti says, “I am deeply proud of my decision. I remain immensely grateful to the Australian Government for supporting my academic journey and to the brilliant faculty at the University of Sydney—especially my dissertation supervisor, Associate Professor Susan Banki, and Dr Ihab Shalbak, Unit Coordinator for ‘Human Rights and Human Rights System’, who later became a valued colleague.” She now leaves Australia having completed her Master of Social Justice with a High Distinction average grade.

Prakriti (right) receiving her master’s degree certificate from the University of Sydney at the completion ceremony.

“Along the way, I built enduring friendships and global alliances with inspiring individuals committed to social justice,” she says. “As I return to Nepal, I will continue my work as a lawyer, academic, socio-legal researcher and development practitioner, focusing on Indigenous rights, Dalit rights, gender justice, policy reform, legal aid and access to justice.”

In summarising her Australia Awards journey, Prakriti says that studying a Master of Social Justice was “far more than an academic pursuit”. Rather, she says, her experience was “a critical examination of power, privilege, history and justice”. She remains committed to advocating for systemic change for—and with—those who are often silenced and unheard.

Australia Awards Scholarships are long-term development awards administered and fully funded by the Australian Government. Applications open in February each year. Full details will be available at www.australiaawardsnepal.org.