Alfred Sigo
2022 IVLP Impact Award Project: PlastSafiKenya
Alfred Sigo is the founder and CEO of Pwani Youth Network in Kenya. His focus is on advocating for better health and employment opportunities for women and youth in Kenya. Alfred is also one of the founding members of the Global Opportunity Youth Network Mombasa, a global initiative championing for systemic change in the area of employment. Through centering activities around sports, film, technology, and the arts, Alfred aims to provide a space for youth empowerment and education. In 2021, he was a Mandela Washington Fellow.
IVLP Impact Award Project: PlastSafi
This environmental awareness campaign was designed to fight pollution caused by poor disposal of plastic waste. The project name is a combination of the English word ‘Plast,’ which stands for plastic, and ‘Safi,’ a Swahili word for clean. The awareness campaign reached 2,500 students. More than 1,000 community members were involved in community clean-up events. Twenty young people were trained on how to properly operate plastic recycling machines. The project encouraged zero-plastic waste dumping in the Bangladesh slums in Changamwe and helped clear plastic waste materials on the coastal shores.
"This project has created an opportunity for the community to learn about cleaning the world and mitigating the effects of climate change, as we from the Global South are facing the effects." - Program Participant
IVLP Exchange Experience
Alfred participated in the IVLP Project Volunteerism and Civic Action in 2021, organized by the U.S. Department of State and Meridian International Center in partnership with Tulsa Global Alliance, Utah Council for Citizen Diplomacy, WorldBoston, WorldChicago, World Affairs Council of South Texas, WorldDenver, Kalamazo, Global Ties KC, World Affairs Council of Kentucky & Southern Indiana, Global Ties Miami, WorldOrlando, World Affairs Council of St. Louis, Global Ties Sacramento, and the International Institute of Wisconsin.
His exchange experience led to the development of his IVLP Impact Award Project: "IVLP was a great platform to meet and network with other great changemakers from across the United States. I was inspired to do more and to make the world a better place. I can strongly say that I got new friends from the great pool of facilitators from this program."
U.S. Communities Visited Virtually
Sacramento, CA; Denver, CO; Washington, DC; Miami, FL; Orlando, FL; Chicago, IL; Louisville, KY; Boston, MA; Kalamazoo, MI; Kansas City, MO; St. Louis, MO; Tulsa, OK; Corpus Christi, TX; Salt Lake City, UT; Milwaukee, WI