To mark this 25th anniversary, 25 outstanding projects have been awarded grants of up to $2,000 each in 2026. These projects highlight the extraordinary dedication of UWC students and alumni, demonstrating how the UWC values of peace, sustainability, and intercultural understanding extend far beyond the classroom.

A total of 118 applications were received this year from colleges across the global UWC network, showcasing exceptional innovation, creativity, and diversity of ideas. Applications were assessed against specific criteria, which measure personal development, community impact, and alignment with the UWC mission.

“We continue to be amazed by the creativity and diversity of ideas students propose”

Jill Longson comments: “This year was especially challenging because the quality of applications was so high. Selecting the final recipients was extremely difficult – perhaps the hardest year ever. Congratulations to all award winners and to every student who submitted such strong proposals. We also thank the college staff who supported students in developing their projects.”

The 2026 winning projects cover a broad spectrum of initiatives, including environmental sustainability, community health, education, technology access, and social entrepreneurship — all reflecting UWC students’ commitment to building a more sustainable and equitable world.

Strong Participation Across the UWC Network

Several colleges had multiple successful applicants, highlighting the strong culture of social entrepreneurship and community engagement across UWC. Notably, three projects will be delivered collaboratively by students from multiple UWC colleges.

A Year of Exceptional Ideas

Colin Habgood, Co-Founder, added: “The range and quality of ideas submitted this year were exceptional. It is inspiring to see UWC students continuously develop innovative solutions to community challenges, bringing the values of the movement to life.”

While not every application could receive funding, the GoMake team hopes that all students will continue to pursue their ideas and drive positive change. IBDP students who remain at a UWC college in 2027 are encouraged to apply for the next round of the programme.

As the programme celebrates its 25th anniversary, the 2026 cohort of awards reflects the enduring spirit that defines the UWC movement. Over $40,000 has been awarded to projects due to be delivered in various countries offering significant levels of support.

Congratulations to all successful students – we look forward to hearing how people have benefitted once these projects have been delivered.

Environmental Sustainability

Projects addressing climate change, sustainable resource use and environmental protection.

• EcoJiko – Kenya (Purity Kamene Kyalo, UWC LPC)
• Let’s Clean the City Initiative – Nigeria (Iyanuoluwa Jegede, UWC Atlantic)
• Groundguard – Turkey ( Çağan Okur, UWC Mostar)
• Greener Kiteezi Campaign – Uganda (Alice Judith Kefeeza Birungi, UWC ISAK)

Health and Wellbeing

Improving physical and mental health, wellbeing, and access to healthcare information and services.

• STOP THE BITE – India (Tenzin Choekyi, UWC Robert Bosch College)
• Mental Health Awareness for Youth – Mozambique (Walney Manjate, UWC Atlantic)
• Restoring Hope – Ethiopia (Haftom, UWC ISAK Japan)
• Miyana – Mexico (Carla Lopez, UWC Mahidra)
• Mental health creativity community engagement – Togo (Gracia Yawa Atchrimi, Pearson, Esso-Houna Alexandrine Amana, UWC USA, Essotolom Tchoude, UWC RCN)

Education and Youth Empowerment

Expanding educational opportunities and building leadership skills in underserved communities.

• Loktantra Lab – Nepal (David Khanal, UWC Maastricht)
• Tech-Empower Nepal – Nepal (Niranjan Kumar Sharma, UWC Mahindra College)
• Digital Inclusion & Protection for Seniors – Malaysia & Myanmar (Arjun Jaya Vejayan, Mon Myat Noe Zay, UWC Dilijan)
• Girls to Lead – Costa Rica & Vietnam (Thao Phuong (Vivienne) Nguyen, UWC Costa Rica)
• Chhote Kadam – India (Ishanvi Kochhar, UWC Mahindra)
• Young teacher support programme – Ukraine (Veronika, UWC Maastricht)

Community Development and Social Enterprise

Combining entrepreneurship with community development to create sustainable local impact.

• Stitching Futures – Tanzania (Bernard Kicheleri, Elizabeth Boniface, Thomas Roussos, UWC East Africa)
• Her Craft, Her Art – Afghanistan (Raziq Akhlaqi, UWC East Africa, Amina Taheri, UWC Atlantic)
• Second Harvest – Kenya (Kwame Mureithi, UWC Changshu China)
• Amazzi for Life – Uganda (Kayla Esther Mpanga, UWC South East Asia, Lin Jing-Hua, UWC Thailand)
• The Resilience Thread – Eswatini (Nkanyiso Gama, Paul Wali,Waterford Kamhlaba UWC)

Culture, Heritage and Local Innovation

Exploring local culture, community heritage, and creative solutions rooted in local knowledge.

• DALAW-LUNTI – Philippines (Seira Louis M. Garcera, UWC Maastricht)
• YACHAY CH’AMA – Peru (Gabriela Olinda Pizarro Arteaga, UWC Changshu China)
• Jhingiyahi Common Ground – Nepal (Manish Kumar Kushwaha, UWC Changshu China)
• Doko ko Sahara – Nepal (Abhigya Dangol, Kavin Agrawal, UWC Mahindra College)
• The Woodpecker – United States (Yunran He, UWC USA)

The quality of applications was outstanding, as co-founder Jill Longson (UWCA81) noted:

“We continue to be amazed by the creativity and diversity of ideas students propose. It was particularly encouraging to see well-structured plans with clear explanations, well considered timelines, and comprehensive budgets. The applications demonstrated that UWC students had carefully planned how to implement their ideas. With 100 applications to review, selecting the recipients was no easy task! Those given grants this year should be very proud of themselves”.

Applications were assessed against the eight predetermined criteria outlined on the Go Make A Difference website, aligning with the schemes direction to support students who live the UWC mission beyond UWC campuses.

The Winners

Successful Pearson students with their certificates.

Following a rigorous selection process, 23 grants of up to $2,000 each have been given to projects that demonstrated exceptional creativity, innovation, and originality, along with strong collaboration, well-defined plans, and ambitious execution goals.

Some of the most inspiring initiatives selected this year, for the GoMakeADifference grant scheme, include:

• Launching a youth-led effort to restore fire-damaged forests in Bhutan.
• Helping Hyderabad’s vulnerable tuk-tuk drivers to recognise and avoid online card scams.
• Developing and deploying autonomous solar-powered drones for real-time PFAS detection and treatment to water systems in Singapore.
• Producing a documentary advocating for the recognition of Islamophobia as a Penal Code crime in Italy.
• Supporting domestic violence survivors in Mexico City as they reintegrate into society.
• Empowering Laotian youth through free soft-skills workshops in rural areas.

Co-founder Colin Habgood praised the exceptional standard of applications this year, stating:

Successful students from Dilijan with their certificates.

“So many ideas were innovative and impactful. I was particularly impressed by the drone initiative in Singapore, which presents an affordable solution to a global issue. Across all the winning projects, we saw themes of building peace, supporting sustainability, addressing climate change, and improving education, proof that UWC values are alive and thriving in this year’s applicants”.

While not all applications could be funded, the GoMakeADifference team hopes that the process of developing their ideas will serve as a catalyst for students to pursue their initiatives independently.

Could you be next?

Looking ahead, any IBDP UWC students who will still be in a UWC college in 2026 should feel inspired by this year’s applicants and motivated to apply next year!

Her project started small and very personal, but gradually turned into the initiative to empower the Ukrainian youth, especially in the villages! It’s called Youth Academy of Leadership Makhnivka (YALM) and focusses on bringing the knowledge she has learned at UWC Maastricht, like entrepreneurship, to her community back home. Olena does this through workshops, meetings with local activists and talking about her experiences.

In these workshops participants enquire skills that enable them to build up projects of their own to support their community and be advocates for youth in the future! Olena’s project caught on and gained recognition. When word spread, youth from neighbouring villages were commuting to also take part and local politicians came and shared their experiences in governance. Also, the community council saw Olena’s project as socially important, granting her access to their resources, like a school bus, so transportation would be more efficient for participants

Olena is happy with what she has accomplished, “I saw some positive changes and I’m really proud of what we did.”

Further funding

After the successful first year, Olena wanted to continue. That’s why she applied for the Go Make A Difference program. This funding is specially designed for UWC students all around the world who are passionate about bringing positive change. Olena is one of very few who received the support this year! She received a certificate to celebrate the achievement.

With this financial support, she will complete her objective of going to all the schools in her neighbourhood and make a difference there as well. She also plans to make her project self-sustainable, making sure participants can take over and continue on, creating more opportunities for the youth in Ukraine.

Now in its 23rd year, students at UWC have really embraced the essence of the opportunity to make a difference in meaningful ways across the globe on issues they feel strongly about.

Keziah Bashon, from UWC South East Asia, here with her certificate (pictured), was thrilled to receive the award on behalf of the team who will deliver “Food on Wheels” – refurbishing food carts to fight under-nutrition in Manila, Philippines.

The quality of applications was very high, with so many well thought through plans, which clearly laid out the project concept, proposed timescales and budgets. So many plans outlined how, if students were successful, people would benefit from the projects.

Assessing the volume of projects was a challenging and interesting task. As always, applications were assessed against eight pre-determined criteria outlined on the website. Each project was assessed by co-founders Colin Habgood and Jill Longson (UWCA81), Ann Goodwin (GoMakeADifference admin coordinator) and where relevant, a representative of the students’ college.

The Winners

Having completed the assessment process, we are delighted to announce 22 projects will be receiving a total of approximately $40,000 to help them make a difference. There were some really innovative projects, where students would clearly be making a difference including:

• Utilising plastic bottles and cement to construct water tanks in Eswatini
• Integrating migrants into society, through a website in relevant languages with information on their rights, local cultures and norms to help them establish a life in Norway
• Helping the mental health of young men through a martial arts app being launched in the UK
• Empowering women with education and support in Afghanistan.

There is no doubt that some projects would have been awarded grants in previous years, but the quality and volume of applications this year has meant that many such projects have been unsuccessful. Students have raised the bar in their applications this year, in terms of the quality of their submission and innovative, creative ideas to making a difference.

Colin said, “We really do hope that despite not being successful in gaining an award, somehow students may still be able to make a difference. We very much hope that some of the plans submitted will still go ahead this year without our funding.”

Successful students will be receiving grants of up to $2,000 each to help them make a difference. Projects are being delivered across the globe during 2024 from Asia, Africa to Europe and the Americas. We look forward in coming months to hearing how the projects were delivered and how students were able to bring their projects to fruition.

As Jill said, “The awards provide an opportunity to allow students to live the UWC values and really make a difference to the issues and communities they feel passionate about. Assessing the awards this year has been a very difficult task and one we did not take lightly. We wish students the best of luck in delivering their projects and look forward to hearing how they went and importantly what the students learnt from their experiences.”

Could you be next?

Any current UWC students who will still be at college in 2025, should feel inspired by this year’s applications and hopefully will be motivated to apply for an award next year. It is never too early to start thinking about your plan!

Fifty-eight applications were submitted, offering innovative ideas from students across the UWC network as to how they hope to make a difference.

More students than ever submitted videos with their application which really helped to bring the ideas to life. The panel assessing the applications use the pre-determined criteria, which covers how much personal challenge, the level of impact and sustainability the project is likely to have and how much the project allows students to live the UWC mission and values.

This year will see interesting projects being delivered in Africa (Burkina Faso, Democratic Republic of Congo, Kenya, Lesotho, Mozambique, Niger, Togo, Uganda, Zimbabwe) in the Americas (Peru, USA), in Asia (Cambodia, India, Indonesia, Japan, Singapore, Thailand,) in Europe (The Netherlands, The Faroe Islands and Wales) and in the Middle East (Afghanistan, Iraq).

Over the twenty two years of providing the awards, there have been some fantastic projects delivered and this year was no exception. The team were once again pleased to see the variety across the diverse projects with some using a high level of technology as part of the project delivery.

One successful project aimed at promoting human rights to the Faroese youth

As Jill Longson (AC’81) and co-founder commented, “We have been delighted with the response we have received this year. The number of different, innovative ideas we received leaves me in no doubt the values of Kurt Hahn and UWC are alive and well across our network. We loved seeing the videos from students accompanying many of the applications, which really brought the ideas to life. As always, students gave the team a hard task in assessing the applications. So many projects had some fantastic ideas as to how students hoped to make a difference and were submitted with well-thought through plans.”

Students from fifteen Schools/Colleges are receiving grants and once again we are pleased to see some projects have students working together from different UWC’s. Special congratulations this year to UWC Atlantic, who have gained five successful awards which is a fantastic achievement.

The GoMakeADifference team, would like to thank and acknowledge the help we receive from the UWC Schools and Colleges in helping us to promote the awards, motivate and guide students into submitting their project plans.

2023 Successful Projects

Projects were successful where students submitted innovative, well-thought through plans, which provided a level of personal challenge and sustainability and a likelihood to succeed. Thank you to everyone who applied. Successful projects covered issues around healthcare, agriculture, water and waste, education and the environment.

Some key highlights of projects awarded this year includes:

This project aims to develop artificial intelligence to monitor and analyse food waste being thrown away

• Developing an app which through music aims to facilitate communication for the less able in the community;
• Delivering a mental health awareness camp;
• Providing a micro-farming project with a sustainable approach;
• Supporting the human rights and education of indigenous people;
• Raising awareness of health and environment issues through education programmes;
• Installing clean cooking stoves;
• Reducing waste including developing an artificial intelligence programme to monitor and analyse food waste to better inform suppliers;
• Constructing a study hall and sustainable water systems;
• Conserving and protecting the Sumatran Tiger;
• Producing sustainable fashion;
• Developing an artificial intelligence programme to help address the challenges faced by deaf and hard-of-hearing individuals;
• Helping to tackle the technological constraints in education of young students.

Colin Habgood (co-founder) assessing the GoMakeADifference 2023 project applications commented,

“We review every application carefully and consider each project against our criteria. It is a time-consuming task to review each application especially with so many and such diverse projects.

“We always enjoy reading the applications and this year have been really inspired by the innovative ideas and the use of technology to help UWC students make a difference. Unfortunately, not every project can be successful, but we thank all students for applying and hope that somehow by developing their idea into a project plan, students can use this to provide a catalyst which may allow them to somehow still deliver their plan”.

Take a look

For full details about the projects projects awarded and those which have been delivered in previous years, please visit https://www.gomakeadifference.global/projects-awarded/2023-awards/.

Here are the students from UWC Li Po Chun College in Hong Kong being presented with their certificates for their 2022 awards for two very different projects. Ivy Shi and Hannah Bailey Cheery aim to develop a Mobile Library to bring books to underprivileged communities. Cecily Houghton and Joey Wat who aim to bridge the technology divide, by providing technology to support refugee students including computers, internet access and mentorship.

Also in the photo are Arnett Edwards, Head of UWC LPC and Fiona Ng, Teacher of Mathematics and the LPC GoMake a Difference UWC co-ordinator.

We wish all successful UWC students well with their project delivery this year and look forward to hearing how their projects really made a difference.

Good luck, guys.
Best wishes from the GoMakeADifference team.

Here are a few photos of students being with their certificates.

Shakthi and Devansh were presented with their certificate during a community meeting.

More successful students.

UWC Red Cross Nordic receive their certificates.

Thanks again to everyone who applied for this year’s award, but unfortunately not everyone can be successful.

We look forward to hearing how this years' students get on making a difference.

Congratulations – and good luck to everyone delivering their projects this year.

Ann, Colin & Jill

The GoMakeADifference team were delighted to receive a total of fifty project applications from nearly all UWC Schools and Colleges, for students to deliver community projects around the world in 2022. This was despite the obvious challenges and restrictions that COVID inevitably brings.

As co-founder, Jill Longson (AC’81) commented, “We were thrilled with the response we had. We know how difficult it has been for students over the last two years, but they have shown great creativity and passion in their project proposals. The increase in climate and sustainability related projects was particularly evident this year, as was the number of projects supporting refugees”.

Students from 12 Schools/Colleges are receiving grants. Some projects have students working together from different UWC’s, which will no doubt be a particularly special experience. Particular congratulations this year go to UWC Waterford Kamhlaba and UWC Atlantic, with 5 successful awards each.

Helping students make a difference The GoMakeADifference team, would like to thank and acknowledge the help we receive from the UWC Schools and Colleges in helping us to promote the awards, motivate and guide students into submitting their project plans.

Projects were successful where students submitted innovative, well-thought through project proposals that meet a real need; with comprehensive timelines, budgets and operational plans; that provided a level of personal challenge and commitment; and with a strong likelihood to succeed. Many applications had accompanying videos where it was evident to see the enthusiasm students had for their projects.

There were seven successful projects around climate issues covering sustainable agriculture, waste and water. Other projects focused on youth rights and leadership, education and women’s rights. Refugee projects were aimed either at offering support in camps, or in local communities - with one designing and building a multiple local language translation App.

Key highlights of projects awarded this year include:

The Mobile Library will feature a “jeepney” which will be stocked with books and travel around a rural community in Cavite, Philippines. One of the many projects planned to make a difference in 2022.

• Providing language education tailored for refugees and asylum seekers.
• Providing a marketing resource to promote rurally-produced indigenous products in the toiletries market in India.
• Creating a core group of young change makers, working for human rights, respect and peace in Haiti.
• Starting a library and motivating children to return to school after a 2 year lockdown in Uganda.
• Igniting an innovative spirit to young Tanzanians through information technology education.
• Constructing wetlands for the reuse of water resources using grey water in Argentina.
• Raising awareness about the severity of gender violence in Mexico.
• Planting seeds of education in impoverished and Roma communities through children’s summer camps across Romania.
• Reducing plastic waste in a community in Zimbabwe.
• Bringing books to underprivileged communities through mobile libraries in the Philippines.
• Creating a technology drive to support refugee students including computers, internet access and mentorship in Hong Kong.
• Reforesting and teaching environmental sustainability in Portugal.
• Promoting and facilitating sustainable practices in Phuket to reduce the impact of plastic.

On assessing the GoMakeADifference 2022 project applications, Colin Habgood (co-founder), commented, “We review every application carefully and consider each project against our criteria around personal development, project sustainability and success. It is a long but rewarding task, especially with so many and such diverse projects”.

Colin went on: “We all enjoy reading the applications and were inspired by the innovative ideas UWC students have in making a difference. It is a shame that not every project can be successful in receiving a grant from us. But we hope that by developing a project plan, every student can use this experience as a catalyst, to allow them to somehow still deliver their plan”.

Take a look

You can view full details about the projects awarded this year, or take a look at those which have been delivered in previous years.

Colin Habgood, Jill Longson and Ann Goodwin.

After successfully receiving the award, John was able to cover his expenses and write the book, which is now available to order online from Amazon.

On 24th June of this year, John appeared on CBC Radio's 'North by Northwest' show, to talk about his fascinating journey, his autobiographic novel, and UWC scholarship.

Listen

You can listen to his interview in full below:

81 applications were received from 17 UWC schools and colleges. For the first time students from UWC Costa Rica, UWC Thailand and UWC ISAK Japan will be receiving GoMakeADifference grants.

Talking about the grant scheme, co-founder Colin Habgood said, “Jill and I were overwhelmed by the number of applications we received this year. With more than 80 applications to consider it made the process of assessing which projects should be awarded a grant very interesting and challenging. The standard of applications was high - innovative projects, with well-thought through and budgeted plans, demonstrating significant levels of commitment from students to live the UWC mission immediately after they graduate”.

Jill Longson (co-founder) added: “It is inspiring to see the initiatives UWC students have proposed to GoMakeADifference this year. Applications were so thought-provoking and reading each one of them was a truly humbling experience. Unfortunately, it is not possible for every application to be awarded a grant, but we hope that those students we couldn’t support, can somehow use their planning and thinking as a catalyst to fund and deliver their projects in another way”.

From the 81 applications received, 31 UWC mission aligned and diverse projects will be supported across the following regions: 15 in Africa, 9 in Asia, 4 in Americas and 3 in the Middle East and Europe.

Find out more about the winning entries.