Shining a light on volunteering with SolarBuddy and GHD Foundation
Giving back to our communities is fundamental to our purpose at GHD, so to celebrate this International Volunteer Day, we are spotlighting one of the organisations we are proud to have worked with this year, SolarBuddy.
SolarBuddy is an impact organisation that works to illuminate the lives of children in communities experiencing energy poverty. Their innovative solar lamps provide school children with access to clean and reliable light sources which in turn improves health and education outcomes. SolarBuddy's delivery approach includes a classroom Social STEM program, inspiring the next generation of global citizens by enabling students in Australian schools to assemble the lamps whilst they learn about energy poverty and renewable energy, and build an understanding of the lives of the children who will receive the lights.
This year, we collaborated with the GHD Foundation and SolarBuddy to support 12 schools across Australia to take part in SolarBuddy's Social STEM program. GHD Foundation funded the program for the schools, and GHD in the Community supported our volunteers to work in the classrooms.
As of November 2023, 35 GHD volunteers have worked with 433 Australian students to build 575 solar lights. These lights will be distributed to children in communities without safe, clean energy, typically replacing kerosene lamps. SolarBuddy estimates these lights will create over 4 million extra hours of study over the next three years, reduce exposure of children to indoor air pollution and save their families the equivalent of 16 weeks of wages that would have been spent buying kerosene.
Corporate volunteering is the heartbeat of what we do at SolarBuddy. Having the opportunity to partner with compassion-driven individuals goes beyond just giving time—it's about sharing their skills, energy and passion to create positive change. By sharing their knowledge with students through our social STEM programs, volunteers are creating future leaders, not only armed with facts but equipped to spark innovation, crafting a brighter, more inclusive tomorrow for everyone."
"There's something really powerful about coming together with your personal network to give back and make a difference in your broader community. I've always loved the sense of connection and shared purpose that comes with volunteering as a group, and what I love about programs like this one with SolarBuddy is that we can work together as a GHD team to give our time and skills to issues that are important to our people and our communities," says Clair Millar, GHD in the Community Global Lead.
We are proud to work with SolarBuddy to support a just energy transition through education and innovative solutions. Click here to learn more about the work they're doing.
Media contact
About GHD
GHD is a leading professional services company operating in the global markets of water, energy and resources, environment, property and buildings, and transportation. Committed to a vision to make water, energy, and communities sustainable for generations to come, GHD delivers advisory, digital, engineering, architecture, environmental and construction solutions to public and private sector clients. Established in 1928 and privately owned by its people, GHD’s network of 11,000+ professionals are connected across 160 offices located on five continents.