Imagine employing some young folk then staying friends with them as go off in the world to do things that touch you deeply.

For me, it’s a feeling of exhilaration and simple pleasure.

One such is Monique Alfris, an engineer.

Some years ago Monique and some colleagues left Oz to set up a business making new local businesses in India who sell solar powered lights.  They create both new local businesses there and sales for solar lighting.

A solar light in a shanty will allow a child to do homework, someone to read, to do housework, to share ideas . . . and so much more.

Here’s the most recent news from the company Monique’s in, Pollinate Energy, whose goal is “bringing clean energy to India’s urban poor”.

“It’s the beginning of a new year, and an exciting one for all of us at Pollinate Energy. As I sit here writing this, I am compelled to think back to this time last year, when Pollinate Energy was kicking off its first ever Fellowship program. On a balmy Sunday evening in Bangalore, 10 young Australians turned up at the doorstep of our Bangalore headquarters, bursting with enthusiasm to work with this young social enterprise and shape the way we operate.

That group of young Australians trained our very first five Pollinators.

Next month we’ll be wrapping up our work in Bangalore, leaving behind a fully functioning locally-run business with 18 Pollinators servicing over 400 communities, bringing solar lights to over 200 new families every week”

Perhaps the key thing from this news is, it spurs me to go on.  It’s food for my spirit.

M