Volunteer Experience
What our volunteers say about their experience
For a current article in Earth Garden Magazine see the link: http://www.earthgarden.com.au/coverstory.html
Father and Son, first time in the history of Solar Sisters
The solar Sisters Program/ trek/trip I did with my dad was the highlight of my past and months in Nepal and India.
Welcome by school family
Learning how to hook up a solar lighting/ electric system spending time in Kathmandu, Boudha, Patan, visiting HLF and Learning about HELP, meeting everyone at the office spending time in the village and having a real “cultural” exchange; drinking lots of home made wines and liquors, walking 25 Km through gorgeous Kavre District.
I CAN’T WAIT TO COME BACK, I CAN’T WAIT TO DO ANOTHER SOLAR SISTERS TRIP, I CAN’T WAIT TO SPEND MORE TIME LEARNING ABOUT NEPALI CULTURE ART AND CRAFT, I CAN'T WAIT TO HOOK UP SOLAR ELECTRIC SYSTEM AT HOME.
Thanks for giving me an opportunity to get turned on to so much great stuff and have a great time with my dad in the hills.
See you soon
JAMIEFeedback from the students of UNSW
"This has been the most rewarding experience of my life. To think that five days' work could benefit so many people is very moving. It was a wonderful cultural experience from a personal and technical point of view. To learn how other people live, and their ideas about approaching problems sis a very valuable experience that you can only get from projects like this. Thank you HLF and congratulations on the work you do."
Cultural program
--Scott Partlin, University of New South Wales, Solar Energy Engineer, Sydney, Australia
"Working with HLF has been a great experience. Living in the village and installing the PV system was a very eye-opening experience. Not only were we giving light to the village health care post, but we were also given a great gift in return. The village welcomed us and openly shared their culture with us. Also, it was a great reminder of all the things that we take for granted in our daily lives."
--Margaret Wong, UNSW, Sydney, Australia
"The experience I had will stay with me forever. It was very enriching for me. Working in the field with basic tools and making do with the materials that were available opened my eyes to how the other people in the world work. Dancing with the villagers and the other cultural events that we participated in were fantastic! I don’t think that I will ever be able to comprehend the impact that this project will make on the people who require the services of the health post"
--Jason Tan, UNSW, Sydney, Australia
"Thank you HLF for showing me how much of a difference twelve students can make for so many people. I can’t seem to find the words to describe the experience in the village. It didn’t matter that we spoke different languages, the gratitude of the villagers was so obvious and heartfelt and that for me was the most rewarding, how something so simple for us to do has changed their lives for the getter and that is something I will treasure forever"
--Karen Sharpe, UNSW, Sydney, Australia
"I feel very pleased to know that our contribution has potential to help the 30,000 people per year who visit the health post. This was the first time I have been involved in a project like this and it was a great cultural experience. It was a great insight into village life in rural Nepal. The project was very well organized by the HLF team who made the experience greater by helping to bridge the language barrier between u and the villagers."
--Jesse Clarke, UNSW, Sydney, Australia
"Unlike the rest of the group I had been to Nepal, several times before, mainly for trekking. This experience was totally different. Living in the village whilst working on the project was in many was a far better experience than trekking. The warmth of our welcome and the great care with which the locals looked after us was brilliant. I also found the HFL staff to be friendly and well-organized."
--Paul Rodden, UNSW, Sydney, Australia
"For an individual who has learned, evolved, and experienced their perspective in a 'developed' country, installing the system here in Nepal, a place I see in tough times, is one of the most worthwhile experiences I have ever been a part of. The warmth of Nepal has been inspired by the landscape and environments, this is reflected in its people."
--Luke Johnson, UNSW, Sydney, Australia
"This project was one of the most rewarding experiences of my life. I was able to apply theoretical knowledge that I had learnt at university into practical problems. Seeing that the little work I put into the period over a short period of five days which made significant changes to many people’s lives has brought me happiness which I cannot describe. Many thanks to be forwarded to HLF for giving us an opportunity to learn from a real engineering project and to learn about the Nepali culture. It has been a privilege for me to be involved in this project."
--Ly Mai, UNSW, Sydney Australia
"All my gratitude and gratefulness that I feel I find hard to express . . . to HLF, to the Dhorpeirdi Health Post, but most of all to all the people who were a part of this journal. This is one of the best decisions I’ve made in my life; a very emotionally enriching experience. It is hard to comprehend that the little work we did over a period of five days in a remote Nepali village would dramatically change the way people live. But it is a true story that unfolded before my very eyes, and what is even more unbelievable is that I was fortunate enough to be a part of it. I will definitely come back for more"
--Esther Lee, UNSW, Sydney, Australia