A Resolution Fellow, One Young World Ambassador, and the Founder of H2O Project in Bolivia.
This month, The Resolution Project will host its third Social Venture Challenge at The One Young World Summit in Bogotá, Colombia. We’re introducing six young leaders who became Resolution Fellows after winning the Resolution Social Venture Challenge at The One Young World Summit.
Please introduce yourself.
My name is Camila Olmedo. I was born in Bolivia, the heart of South America. I pursued by bachelor’s in Economics at The University of Texas in Austin. I have strong passion for nontraditional business models as drivers for social and environmental impact.
What is the challenge your venture seeks to address?
My venture seeks to address the water crisis by providing clean water in Champa Rancho, a low-income, peri-urban area in Cochabamba, Bolivia. The historic context of water access in Cochabamba involves a tense social background of privatizing a scarce commodity, due to the lack of infrastructure and technologies to suffice the city’s demand for water. Going forward, Bolivia’s water supply is also threatened by climate change with melting glaciers and evaporated lakes.
How is your venture addressing those challenges?
Working with the community of Champa Rancho, a low-income peri-urban area, the venture will provide clean water through a distribution center. Water will be filtered with the adequate technology and will work with the community members, especially women, for administration and sales.
What have you achieved so far?
We identify that building a relationship with the community we will work is key for sustainability and long-term impact. This is why, volunteers in Bolivia and I have coordinated a sanitation program where kids in the community and their moms can access showers once a week at a private facility. In the program, we have recreational activities and provide snacks.
What does One Young World mean to you?
OYW is a fuel to inspire action. OYW empowers us, young leaders, with a thought-provoking call to action to be ambassadors of change in our circle of impact. It celebrates diversity and is a reminder that we are not isolated, we all live in one world where we must take responsibility to solve pressing issues that affect, or will affect, us.
What does The Resolution Project mean to you?
The Resolution Project validates the “crazy” idea that even at a young age, we can change the world. Resolution not only provides valuable tools and expertise, but also believes in the passion and idea I proposed, which was the first step for the venture to be developed into a project.
What is the most valuable part of the Resolution Fellowship and how is it helping you achieve your goals?
At this moment, my guides have been of extreme help in being able to access Resolution tools such as connecting with experts on hydrology and water technologies. I am also participating in the Resolution Institute financial course which will help me develop a key sector of my venture’s sustainability and long-term impact.
What role do young leaders play in the world today?
We must be the pioneers of innovative ideas and models that are not solely profit focused, but are seeking to close the gaps of the globalized world we live in now. We must be creative in integrating social and environmental purpose to our personal/professional goals in order to take a stab at solving major pressing world issues.
Why is it important for young people to focus on social impact?
In a generation where we live in a highly inter-connected world, and where innovation and technology are booming, I believe young people have the opportunity and have to take accountability to generate a significant social and environmental impact.
What are your goals for the future?
As I am moving back to my country, I envision this coming year as the opportunity to jumpstart the venture, collaborating with the community and finding the adequate water technologies to provide clean water.
To learn more about the Social Venture Challenge at One Young World, click here.
To learn about other opportunities with The Resolution Project, click here.