Program Reviews

Before I started PEV I had a limited idea on what I would actually be doing for the month. I assumed I would be out selling stoves 24/7. Instead I got to attend a meeting at the UN Office to deliver a business summary I had written for a potential partnership with the UNDP. I never thought that this is something I would achieve at the age of 19 and cannot wait to see how the next team can grow our fuel project. Before this month, I thought sustainability meant being environmentally friendly, but now I see it as ensuring that the positive social impact that we want to have and do have in local communities is maintained long after we leave country.

Being in country has taught me that the most effective social impact is a self-sustainable social impact. If we can leave country at the end of February knowing that our projects are still benefiting the Timorese community and can be picked up where they left off in July, then we know we have made a sustainable social impact.

Not only was it a great opportunity for my own professional development, it was also incredibly fun. Every day we were pushed to work outside of our comfort zones, waking up at 0530 to go on runs every morning and getting to go out and explore Dili during the day. On the weekends we had the opportunity to travel to an island and go four wheel driving to waterfalls. This internship enabled me to develop so much personally and professionally in an incredibly supportive environment.

PEV is an incredible platform to improve personally and professionally. A great opportunity to meet various people to connect with and to learn from. I have learnt and talked about many things from others varying from talking about home countries to weirdest experience ever to crying all together. I had the greatest if not the best month of my life while in Fiji with PEV. Staffs from PEV are all very kind and always open for a good chat and that made me feel very welcomed into trekking with them

As a first year university student lacing significant work experience in social and corporate work environments, going on an overseas internship to Fiji of all places was extremely eye-opening! Not only was I able to develop myself on a professional and personal level; in which the soft skills I have obtained will forever remain in my favour, but I was also able to immerse myself in a new culture and experience life in an unfamiliar place, surrounded by like-minded individuals from countless backgrounds!

Project Everest Ventures provides a great immersive month where you are pushed out of your comfort zones but supported by great leaders and team network to achieve new personal and professional goals. Sometimes conditions are tough and not ideal but those opportunities allow you to find new strengths within yourself. The unique team environment also allow your to optimise yours and others performance. In country you are able to love like a local and visit local villages to identify, survey and understand the problems faced by the local community. You Are also provided with training sessions on empathy and pitching to better aid your autonomous village visits.

It's tough to fully explain what the company can do for you as an individual and also society at large with its broader goals. It is, however, a certainty that you will come away with something positive to say about you experience.
You have a fit, healthy and positive daily routine.
You work with purpose on a project you can be passionate about.
You meet people that you could believe were so kind and intelligent - people you can call a friend or mentor
Your goals, your fears, your inhibitions are the focus of this experience.
If you believe there is something that needs to be built on or even changed completely. This is that opportunity

Interning with Project Everest was such a great experience socially, personally and professionally. It's great to meet like-minded people. Working with Project Everest is the opportunity to do something meaningful and to make an impact. The staff were and other trekkers are a great support system while away from home. I have done little travel in my life, but after trekking in India with Project Everest I look forward to solo travel across the world. I would highly recommend this experience to everyone.

My time in India was quite possibly the hardest thing I’ve done in my life. Adjusting to strict structuring and long work days as well as even living with 20 people in close quarters for a month made for a rocky initial adjustment. But being put to work on a task and having tasks and autonomy to complete them paired with doing good for the world instilled passion in me and this allowed me to not only adapt to this new environment but also thrive.

Coming on project has allowed me to fully upend my approach to my degree. I am coming home with so much more drive and passion due to having a bigger picture perspective on the individual impact that my degree can have on me as well as way more appreciation for being able to attend and learn. The main way I have achieved this is through the discipline that is instilled in us as trekkers. I now have a deeper appreciation for organisation and and structure - something I initially would not have even fathomed me enjoying. My focus has changed from how can I do the bare minimum in order to land a job at the conclusion of university to how can I maximise my experience so I have the most impact on the world around me and build on and utilize my own skills to bring back to my own reality.

Even though I am a Finance and Economics student, I was still able to utilise my analytical skills in order to better understand how systems operate in Country. What I love About Project Everest is that they're a young company with young employees and all the people you are in country with, from the leaders to the team members, are all around the same age. Its a real community feeling. Not only do you get to develop professional skills but you get to develop a lot as a person. My month overseas allowed me to highlighted the things in my life that I wasn't happy with and improve upon them. On top of that you get to actually experience a country for a month, not just doing touristy things but actually integrating and talking with communities about the issues they are facing. It's so easy to get involved and I guarantee you will not regret it.

My experience with PEV has been so rewarding, from the people I have met to the skills I have gained from the projects. Working with a multi-disciplinary team across a social enterprise business ensured I was in a truly collaborative space, sharing and learning skills from every team member. The workshops conducted through the month also helped build on both personal and profession skills such as public speaking and pitching, empathy and lean business models. This has by far been my most rewarding travel/internship experience thus far, and I highly recommend PEV to anyone looking for a rewarding, yet challenging experience overseas.

My month with Project Everest in Malawi has been one of the most formative experiences of my life. I was placed on a project working in the nutrition space. I was afforded the chance to build my pitching skills, business knowledge, time management, crisis management, cultural intelligence and team leadership skills. I was then able to put this into practice by running meetings and building relationships with huge international NGOs working within the space. The people you share this experience with make it all the more special. Shortly into the project you will feel like you're surrounded by family that want nothing more for you than to grow and succeed.
Don't get me wrong, I found it very challenging at points. But PEV has a way of creating an environment in which you can't help but grow as a person.

Make this investment in yourself. You will be thankful you did.