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Winners

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2014 Winners

Global Poverty

Overpopulation = Poverty

Simon Elischer

American International School of Lusaka, Lusaka, Zambia

Simon Elischer attends the American International School of Lusaka in Lusaka, Zambia and will graduate in 2015. His video was part of an assignment for his Geography class following a population and demographics unit. However, for Simon, it was not homework but a labor of love, as he has been making films since he was 13. He chose Global Poverty because he has grown up in four different African countries and has a “relatively close proximity to the problems of both overpopulation and poverty.” Even so, he was still shocked by what he learned: “I honestly had no clue that the problem of poverty and population was so widespread and common.”

“Overpopulation = Poverty” is Simon’s first animation – his past films include live action documentaries and narratives – and he taught himself using online tutorials. However, he admits that researching the topic and creating the script posed the greatest challenge, as finding updated, reliable information relating to Zambia was difficult. Simon’s hard work paid off, producing a polished animation with clear facts on how poverty and population growth affect his country.

Simon has seen a lot of the world in his 17 years; his nationality is German and aside from living all across Africa, he has also been an exchange student in France, where he improved his French and met students from all over the world. He stays busy playing tennis and soccer and serving as a photographer for his student newspaper. After graduation, he wants to go to university and is currently thinking of pursuing either Engineering or Film.

Overpopulation = Poverty

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