Growing up in Australia
I have had access to electricity all my life, and I know this privilege is not extended to all people across the world. I recognise the impact a simple light can make on a person's life to study or work at night, the impact wifi can make to access the internet, or the impact a USB plug can make to charge a mobile phone and call a loved one. Without the amenities some take for granted, people are limited in their opportunities in life.
When I heard I was accepted as an intern with Light of Hope PH, I was ecstatic. Not only does LOH provide light and wifi to communities without easy access to the grid but they tackle the most pressing issues in our world today; climate change, inability to access electricity, and plastic pollution. These three topics are ones that I think about daily, and I was keen to tackle them in an entrepreneurial mindset.
My First Week
My first week at LOH was an exciting, task-filled week. What a time to commence my internship! There was always something happening, with tasks to be completed, meetings to be had, and goals to be set. My marketing role never ceased to pique my interest. Observing meetings gave me a sense of the business world that I've just begun to enter. Talking to partners and understanding the needs of a community is extremely important, and I know my knowledge learnt in this internship will translate to my work in the future. Pitching was also especially exciting to observe. I was able to follow the development of a pitch deck to receiving funding.
Throughout the following weeks, my messages were always filled with notifications, and my work seemed to make a contribution to the startup. Doing limited paperwork and instead contributing to the business development, financial and branding side of the company made me feel valuable to LOH. Despite the busy time I experienced, I know what I was exposed to was of surface-level complexity. There are hours upon hours of work and planning that goes before me receiving my tasks. Throughout my time here, I started to learn that.
Now that I am finishing my internship, I am grateful to have been a part of such a wonderful social enterprise, pushing innovation and change to make the lives better for a few. What I've learnt and the people I have met will stay with me as I continue, and I hope I will always be a #LightHero.
