Halifax resident Sunisha Neupane has received Nova Scotia’s top award for volunteerism by the non-profit development agency CUSO-VSO. Neupane, who is originally from Nepal was honoured for her work on CUSO-VSO’s ‘Stand Up’ campaign which draws attention to world poverty. She is currently completing a double major in international development and chemistry at Dalhousie University.

Sunisha Neupane knows how privileged she is to be studying in one of Atlantic Canada’s best universities. Growing up in the twelfth poorest nation of the world gave her a truly global perspective on socio-economic factors that affect the Third World.

Her experience was also coupled with a family tradition of giving back. Neupane’s father volunteers with CUSO-VSO in Guyana, working with micro credit and offering small-business advice. Once she arrived in Halifax, she realized that contributing to agencies that help places lacking the everyday necessities we take for granted was essential to her wellbeing.

“When you’re in the Third World, it’s like you’re waiting for someone else to come and help … I’m not waiting anymore. I am that someone,” she told DalNews. “Here, we have too much of everything. In Nepal, we lack everything … I think the place to start is with awareness. We have to learn more about how other people live.”

Travelling back to Nepal and volunteering in other Third World countries have given her the drive and compassion to contribute to and promote programs that truly make a difference. Aside from her volunteering, Neupane plans to apply to medical school and currently assists staff at the QEII Health Sciences Centre every Sunday.

Read more about Sunisha Neupane at DalNews.