In 2016, Maia Freudenberger was selected as a Laureate Global Fellow for her work as Founder of Projet Jeune Leader (PJL) in Madagascar. The initiative works to reduce teen pregnancy, school dropouts, and risky sexual behavior among young adolescents through a comprehensive, school-based, sexual health and leadership education program which has reached over 29,000 Malagasy youth across 12 middle schools since 2013.