Prix Olivier Cadot and Prix Christophe Pralong - winners 2024

Each endowed with a maximum of CHF 10,000, the Cadot and Pralong Prizes are designed to help a∙e student∙e or a group of student∙s to carry out a social, entrepreneurial or academic project in an emerging country. These awards are open to all students∙e∙s without discrimination, whether from the University of Lausanne, EPFL or other universities in French-speaking Switzerland. For this edition, 26 applications were submitted to the jury, which decided to support 4 projects.

The Olivier Cadot Prize was awarded to two students:

Andrea Mathez, a doctoral student at the Institute of Geography and Sustainability, Faculty of Geosciences, UNIL, for her participatory research project: “L'agroécologie paysanne - Dialogue sciences-sociétés et perspectives croisées entre acteurs marocains et suisses”.

• Can you tell us a little about this project?

"This participatory action research project offers an unprecedented opportunity for Moroccan and Swiss actors to share their knowledge on peasant agroecology, transcending the North/South divide. Over the course of a week in the Swiss canton of Vaud, researchers, farmers and activists from the two countries will meet for visits, workshops and working days on agroecological farms. Farmers would not be 'just beneficiaries', but actors in this exchange. The project, through its conception and scientific support upstream and on site, offers optimal conditions for inspiring and consolidating peasant agroecology in these two territories via the learning and/or improvement of techniques, knowledge and agricultural practices, so that peasant agriculture is ecologically viable and remunerative for the people who practice it in the short, medium and long term."

• Why did you apply for this prize and how will it help you?

"This prize enables me to take my doctoral research on the conditions of existence of peasant agroecology in Morocco and Switzerland to another dimension. In line with the idea behind participatory action research - that research should be done with and not for people, in order to bring about significant change - this prize gives me the opportunity to respond to the desire of farmers in both countries to meet and learn from each other. Bringing Moroccan actors and actresses to Switzerland, and not the other way round, seems important to me, given the structural inequalities that make it easier for Swiss people to travel outside such a framework. In this respect, this prize also contributes to taking a small step towards changing the habit of researchers who are accustomed to verifying the correspondence between the principles of agroecology developed in the “North” and farming practices in the “South”.

Hugo Troendle, Master of Management in Business Analytics at HEC Lausanne, for his project “Swiss-Rwandan partnership for the development and support of villages in the Burera district through community tourism”.

• Can you tell us a little about this project?

"In a country where tourism plays a central role in the economy, the unequal distribution of its revenues represents a major challenge. In this context, my project aims to combat poverty in rural communities in Rwanda through community-based tourism. This branch of ecotourism focuses on responsible travel, encouraging authentic interaction with local communities while supporting their development, traditions and environmental preservation.

My partnership with an experienced local player enables me to solve two problems simultaneously. On the one hand, by responding to the growing demand from Western customers for sustainable tourism offers. On the other hand, by redistributing a fair share of the revenues generated through a system that encourages higher living standards and the development of economic activity within communities."

• Why did you apply for this award and how will it help you?

"I was working on the administrative aspects of setting up my project when I saw the poster for the Christophe Pralong & Olivier Cadot Award. Feeling perfectly aligned with the values and criteria put forward, I immediately began preparing my application.

The Prize had already been useful to me before its verdict, forcing me to realistically structure certain aspects of the project that until then had remained ideas. What's more, its financial support will enable me to speed up the implementation of my project and thus, I hope, accelerate the development of rural communities in Rwanda."

The Prix Christophe Pralong was awarded to 3 students for 2 projects:

Johanna Angeles, in her Master's program in International and Development Studies at IHEID, for her project “Stitching hope: Empowering survivors through sewing”.

• Can you tell us a little about this project?

"Every year, an estimated 7,000,000 children are sexually abused in the Philippines, with girls accounting for 98% of these cases. Girls living on the streets are particularly vulnerable, as they lack social protection mechanisms and are exposed to a wide range of risky behaviors. My project, Stitching Hope, aims to develop a sewing social enterprise in Tahanan Sta. Luisa, a crisis intervention and recovery center located in Manila. The center is dedicated to the rehabilitation of street girls who have been victims of physical and sexual abuse, exploitation and mistreatment. In addition to refurbishing sewing machines and replenishing fabric stocks, Stitching Hope strives for holistic empowerment by integrating vocational skills development with financial literacy and business creation workshops. The main objectives are to promote mental health through art therapy and to foster the economic independence of young girls, since a portion of the proceeds from the sale of products will go directly back to them."

• Why did you apply for this award and how will it help you?

"Growing up in Metro Manila, I saw children begging on the streets and living in run-down slums, and this was part of my daily reality. It wasn't until I moved to California that I realized these scenes were far from ordinary. It raised my awareness of social inequalities and awakened my passion for global health. Throughout my studies, I was actively involved in initiatives to improve the health of women and girls around the world. One of these projects involved sewing sanitary pads for school-going girls in low-income countries. This experience made me realize how a seemingly mundane activity like sewing has the potential to promote independence and dignity for young girls. The prize represents an opportunity to help street children in my home country. The development of Stitching Hope has already honed my project design skills, and I see this opportunity as a chance to further improve my implementation and evaluation capabilities, crucial aspects of my global health background."

Alexandra Ceban, studying for a Master's degree in Public Policy and Management at UNIL-IDHEAP, and Sofia Benczédi Munar, studying for a Master's degree in Business Analytics at HEC Lausanne, for their project “Les aiguilles du temps: brodant l'espoir dans le cœur des oubliés” (“The needles of time: embroidering hope in the hearts of the forgotten”).

• Can you tell us a little about this project?

"Moldova, which faces major economic challenges, is suffering from the repercussions of war because of its geographical proximity and close ties with Ukraine and Russia. Mass emigration, which began after the fall of the USSR, has accentuated the vulnerability of Moldovans aged sixty and over (an age group that represents 22.8% of the population). With young Moldovans leaving the country in droves, the elderly are faced with poverty, inadequate health services and, above all, loneliness. Our project aims to address these current challenges by cultivating sewing skills among participants in northern Moldova in fourteen different villages. This encourages the creation of products that celebrate Moldovan culture, while cultivating a sense of community, unity and solidarity. The emphasis is on passing on these skills as a cultural legacy for future generations, but also providing material donations in the form of textile bags for Ukrainian refugees."

• Why did you apply for this award and how will it help you?

"Being of Moldovan origin, Alexandra is deeply concerned by the challenges facing her country, and sees the growing effect of loneliness among the elderly population. Alexandra's commitment has deeply touched her friend Sofia. With her international and multicultural background, always closely linked to humanitarian aid, she is fully aware of the importance of this project. With little media coverage of Moldova in our Western context, we wanted to establish a Swiss-Moldovan connection, with the main aim of providing what we consider essential aid to a country in need. This is an issue that is rarely tackled at local level. The Pralong Prize call for projects was an opportunity to realize this plan, offering us a strict time frame, financial support and the potential for rapid implementation."

HEC Lausanne warmly congratulates the winners of this 2024 edition.

Learn more about the Prix Pralong and the Prix Cadot