Krisha Maharjan is animated about her growing accomplishments in pharmacy school. She really wants to make her parents proud and no doubt she is. Through a great deal of discipline and focus, she is now achieving top marks in her class. 

A 2022 recipient of the CCF Joy Attwood Scholarship through the Association for Craft Producers (ACP), Krisha is in her second year of pharmacy studies at the Manmohan Memorial Institute of Health Science in Kathmandu. She is scoring high and loving her studies. "I have improved my grades, and in the last examination, I achieved the highest score in my class. I've never been the class topper before, so I am ecstatic." 

Krisha is excited about her learning. “This year has been quite fascinating as we received training in producing medical lotions and cream. I'm eagerly looking forward for the upcoming year, too, as we will be trained in the production of medicines and tablets.” 

Krisha is a recipient of CCF’s ongoing Girls’ College Scholarship program that every year supports three young women who otherwise would not have the opportunity to continue their education through college. CCF’s dedication to enriching the lives of women and girls in Nepal enables young women like Krisha to have more choices than they might otherwise.

Thirty-seven percent of girls in Nepal marry before the age of 18 and 70 percent never graduate from high school in rural areas. The lack of continued education among women and girls perpetuates poverty and continues the generational cycle of female marginalization.

CCF’s scholarships aim to change this. Girls’ education ranks among the top actions that can improve everything from climate change to infant mortality. Girls’ empowerment has the potential to transform individuals, families, communities, and the world. Krisha is an impressive example of what happens when a girl gets the opportunity to fall in love with learning. 

Apart from her studies, Krisha helps her mother to wind sewing bobbins whenever she has free time. She also organizes the raw materials received from ACP, which members use in craft production. What’s more, as time allows, she is learning weaving.  She has already learned plain weaving and intends to explore basic patterns if she finds the time during her month-long holiday in the festival season.

After finishing her education, Krisha intends to either work in a hospital pharmacy for three years (a prerequisite for opening her own medical pharmacy shop) or if possible, go to Canada for additional education and job opportunities to support her family. In the meantime, her favorite pastime continues to be watching Korean and Chinese dramas. She also likes to cook at home and is lending a hand to her younger sister with her schoolwork.

Krisha expresses her gratitude for the CCF scholarship, which has helped tremendously in covering her education expenses. CCF, in turn, is so happy she is doing so well and is becoming an inspiration for other girls wanting to pursue education.