Program Reviews

I decided on a whim to travel to Malawi for a full month, with a bunch of students I didn’t know, to work on a social enterprise project (I have no experience in business). I don’t know what exactly I expected, but what I can say is that the month exceeded every single expectation I could have had. It was one of the best months of my life. Not only did I learn so much about starting a business, but I lived with a household of legendary people and learnt about teamwork, a beautiful culture, about how to challenge myself to be the best version of myself I can be.

Across the summer months, I have been lucky enough to intern with Project Everest Ventures (PEV) on the Diversity Arrays Technology (DArT) project in Bhubaneswar, India. While on project I lived and breathed India! I was based in a small village 35 minutes out of Bhubaneswar, ate traditional Indian meals every night (chicken dopiza and samosa’s were a stable!), experienced the craziness of Indian public transport and was able to explore what makes India so special and unique on the weekends.

Each day of project varied drastically day to day; however throughout the month I was able to experience empathising with farmers in the local communities, developing my business skills and knowledge by running workshops, building my soft skills by increasing my EQ and integrating knowledge from my university degrees back into the project.

My internship with PEV has been a once in a lifetime opportunity where I have been fortunate enough to develop my leadership abilities in an environment that is supportive and stimulating. My month interning with PEV was inspiring, challenging and I’ve never met a group of individuals as wholesome and committed to long-term and positive change as the team at PEV. I can safely say that my involvement with PEV is hands down the best decision I’ve ever made as a university student.

As we are the 3rd month of project, there was already several relationships built with parts of the Blantyre community. We built on our report with our existing customers and developed stronger relationships with schools and universities. Universities had been a previously unexplored partner who saw an immense amount of value in our project with the menstrual cups. We developed a business model for importing, marketing and selling the product, attempting to improve the supply chain. We gave the company a name - ufulu- and developed marketing material to spread education, awareness and brand recognition.
PEV facilitated personal and professional growth through workshops, group pitches and leadership opportunities.
The team bonded together while in the same house, but also bonded with all of those in the other teams as well. It was an amazing experience, especially for those who had not lived in a share house before,

Doing an internship with PEV was the best decision of my life. I have met people here that I never would have otherwise. I have gained so much professional and personal development. I am astounded how much I have grown in just one month.
The projects really target the needs of the Malawian people. All the research that goes into the projects is so amazing. You will never be able to work on a project like this anywhere else. The social enterprise model is unlike anything I have ever heard of before. I can't wait to see how the projects go in the future.

This experience could not have been a better start to my year. Working and living with a small team, with all our efforts directed towards making a real social impact, and using social enterprise to do so.
In a country where blackouts and water shortages are a common occurance, and something you’ll deal with in country, it’s amazing how little these things matter to you when you’re passionate about what you’re working towards.
The team I worked with throughout the month have become a family, and I sincerely hope that we keep in contact for long after this experience.

Autonomy is a given for interns, as is cultural immersion. An interesting insight into how business works arises through the weeks. You will most probably find yourself amongst different and yet similar people; different backgrounds but with common traits of motivation, enthusiasm and gregarious natures. As an engineer, no strictly engineering pursuits wil be entertained but equally valuable business operations will cater for your needing to be familiar with jow companies who employ you work. The price is worth it especially if you have never been overseas without parents.

I would like future participants to know that each and every trekker has a unique experience in country, and the value you get out of it is dependent on your willingness to adapt and approach situations full force. I personally didn’t know what my project was until I arrived in country and found out that it was being changed to a new project. This ended up being very exciting and tested different aspects of my personality in a way that allowed me to grow. I have been privileged to form relationships with others that I would otherwise never have met without this opportunity.

Malawi is such a unique and amazing country. The people are friendly and the scenery to die for. I'm very glad that I chose to go with PEV to Malawi as I was also pushed out of my comfit zone and got to meet so many like minded people. Through this experience I grew both professionally, by working on the Moyo Energy Business and personally. All the leaders were very professional however were also up for a chat and always cared about you. knowing all the risks and how to cope in those situations were also very helpful.

I decided on a whim to travel to Malawi for a full month, with a bunch of students I didn’t know, to work on a social enterprise project (I have no experience in business). I don’t know what exactly I expected, but what I can say is that the month exceeded every single expectation I could have had. It was one of the best months of my life. Not only did I learn so much about starting a business, but I lived with a household of legendary people and learnt about teamwork, a beautiful culture, about how to challenge myself to be the best version of myself I can be.

This experience was truly like none other. From the first moment stepping off the plane, the differences between Malawi and Australia were evident. The driving was different, the houses, the fashion and there were chickens in random places. Over the course of the month however, despite tough challenges, this beautiful country will stick with me. By getting the chance to empathize with locals and create real change through undertaking the internship with Project Everest ventures, I now have a new perspective on potential solutions in developing countries. Malawi truly is the warm heart of Africa.