On the evening of October 2, amid a festive atmosphere and with more than 400 guests in attendance, the winners of the 12th edition of the Forces AVENIR gala were announced. Of the 11 projects entered by Polytechnique Montréal, the jury chose three.

CIPO 2011, the international overseas project committee, earned the AVENIR Entraide, paix et justice (AVENIR for aid, peace and justice), which came with a $4,000 grant for their project to build a classroom and composting latrines in Malawi.

Overcrowded classrooms, inadequate or non-existent supplies, deficient sanitary facilities: this was the everyday reality for some 500 students attending the Chilanga Community Day Secondary School in Chilanga, a small village in Malawi. It took a visit from a group of nine Polytechnique Montréal students with the CIPO 2011 project to change everything. Now, the school enjoys a new electricity equipped building, made up principally of a classroom and a laboratory. In addition, the students took the time during their visit to build composting latrines, an innovative project in a region where water supply is extremely challenging. Results: a notable improvement in local living conditions.

Forces AVENIR is a non-profit organization that aims to recognize, honour and promote social engagement and entrepreneurial spirit among young people through projects that enrich knowledge and inspire success, personal achievement and the development of civic-mindedness, contributing to the education of leaders who are aware, active and responsible, both rooted in their communities and tuned into the world around them.

Polytechnique congratulates all the members of CIPO as well as all the finalists who proudly represented us at the 12th edition of the Forces AVENIR competition, and who, through their creativity and their actions, are making a difference. Bravo!


From left to right: Ian-Anthony Zouari Gordon-Pullar, Magellan Charbonneau and Daniel O'Brien

Read the full stories of the 2012 university winners when you visit the Forces AVENIR website at www.forcesavenir.qc.ca (in French only).

See also:
CIPO website