Michelle

Michelle Muchilwa is a 17-year-old Diana Award Winner, National Geographic Young Explorer, Planeteer, Ocean Hero, Conrad Challenge Innovator and Technovation Regional Winner, from Kisumu, Kenya. She is passionate about restorative and climate-smart development. After participating in the Ocean Heroes Virtual Boot-camp 2020, Michelle and her brother Jeremy decided that they wanted to restore Lake Victoria, starting by eradicating plastic pollution. They started Osiepe Sango (Friends of Lake Victoria) Rescue Team, an organization working towards restoring Lake Victoria to its pristine condition through the Bring Back Lake Victoria campaign, The Nam Lolwe Youth Summit (NALYS) and the Ziwa Safi App. They’ve managed to not only start a conversation on plastic pollution in the Lake Victoria Basin but also mobilize people around East Africa and the world to restore Lake Victoria. They are now building an app (Ziwa Safi) to collect data on plastic pollution in the Lake Basin. Michelle is passionate about a development model that allows developing countries to grow their economies without destroying their natural resources.