How SEED of LIGHTwas born
Who are we
"Nicola, Tommaso, and Francesco are three friends who share the same passion for travel and discovery. For them, traveling has always meant immersing themselves in something new, a way to truly connect with places and people: by bike, by van, always seeking direct contact with the realities they encountered.
Over time, they realized that the greatest value of every journey wasn't the places, but the people: the stories heard, the friendships born by chance, the realization of how much you can learn simply by being in the midst of a community different from your own. It was this curiosity toward the world and toward others that gave rise to everything else.
The first travel to Nepal
In 2025, a family friend of Nicola's invited them to take part in a hydroelectric project in the Makalu region of Nepal. The project involved building a 12 kW hydroelectric plant that would bring light and electricity to 8 villages, for a total of 1,062 people. Without thinking too much about it, they decided to go.
For two months, Nicola, Tommaso, and Francesco lived in one of these villages, in a camp they set up themselves. Every day they worked side by side with the local people: putting up power poles and installing the electrical systems in the houses. During those months, they became part of the community and formed real friendships. It was an experience that left a mark on them: living within a community, understanding people's real needs, and seeing the concrete impact a project like this can have.
The first SEED of LIGHT project
During the two months they spent in the Makalu valley, Nicola, Tommaso, and Francesco learned about a ninth village in the valley: Pawakhola. This village was about a 3-hour walk away and was too remote to be connected to the Light for Makalu Valley project. One day, driven by curiosity, they decided to visit the village.
They were immediately welcomed by the whole village, who were overjoyed to see them. The village chief, almost as if he had been waiting for someone willing to listen, told them about the community's need: no electricity and no way to be connected to the national grid. He then asked if they could do the same thing for Pawakhola that they were doing for the other villages. Nicola, Tommaso, and Francesco looked at each other and couldn't bring themselves to say no.
The project would cost 12,977 CHF. Not an impossible amount, but enough to require real organization. Once back in Switzerland, they decided to found an association. First and foremost to raise the funds needed for the Pawakhola project, but also because they had realized they wanted to give continuity to what they had experienced and discovered in Nepal.
This is how SEED of LIGHT came to be. The project was completed successfully: a 2 kW hydroelectric plant that brought electricity to 104 people. Pawakhola was just the beginning; today SEED of LIGHT is a growing association, with new members and new projects.
