04 August 2016 — Two Filipinos recently participated in the 2016 Global Changemakers in Zurich, Switzerland.
Mark Benjamin Lozano and Alexon Grochowski were among 60 young social activists who were chosen from a pool of 4,000 candidates worldwide.
Lozano co-founded One Million Lights Philippines (OML PH) in August 2010 when he was still 16. OML PH is a non-profit organization that provides clean, safe, and affordable solar lights to off-grid communities. As the Country Head, he oversees all operations of the organization, from resource mobilization to resource deployment.
OML PH has successfully conducted over 60 lighting initiatives across the Philippines, touching the lives of over 70,000 Filipinos. Lozano and his co-founder were recognized for their work at OML PH with the Spirit of EDSA Award, which was conferred byno less than Philippine President Benigno S. Aquino III.
Apart from OML PH, Lozano is also involved in various initiatives that promote youth development. He served as a Director for the youth component of APEC Philippines 2015, and regularly gives talks on the subject of youth empowerment and social transformation.
He graduated with a degree in Applied Economics from De La Salle University.
On the other hand, Grochowski currently works full-time in Haiti with the le Centre d’Education Inclusif (CEI), a non-profit organization that she founded in 2014. With the help of local and international partners in CEI, she established Haiti’s first inclusive primary school to fully integrate children living with disabilities into traditional classrooms. She has been recognized by Business Insider as one of the “19 Incredibly Impressive Students at Cornell” and was featured on the front page of the Cornell Chronicle through the article, “Undergrad Marshals Resources to Build School in Haiti”.
Grochowski also received awards and recognition from the Clinton Global Initiative University and Estee Lauder Companies.
In the coming years, Grochowski is committed to growing CEI in Haiti and internationally, including in the Philippines.
Grochowski graduated in 2015 from Cornell University in the US with a Bachelor of Science degree in Policy Analysis and Management. She is of Filipino-Polish descent.
Global Changemakers was created in 2007, originally as a British Council programme. It aimed at empowering the youth as catalysts for social change by providing them with skills, contacts, opportunities and a worldwide community of like-minded people.
During its seven years of existence, it has been transformed into an independent organization spanning a network of 100,000 young social activists.
The organization has supported 280 youth-led projects in 128 countries with 200,000 people directly involved and making a difference in the lives of over 4 million people. It has partnered with the World Bank, the World Economic Forum, the Nike Foundation, and the Clinton Global Initiative, among others.
Annually, Global Changemakers gathers a select group of changemakers for a week-long summit to discuss issues relevant to their work, and to come up with new and innovative ideas for their ongoing initiatives.
This year, Switzerland was chosen to host the summit. END
