Kouassi Alfred N'da is the President of the NGO Vie Sacrée (Sacred Life). He is an outspoken community leader who works on human right issues and projects including community policing and the promotion of peaceful elections. He is a dedicated activist based outside of Abidjan. The many projects he has worked on include promoting the education of urban and rural communities in citizenship and democratic culture, advocating for women to have land ownership rights, and protecting the rights of human rights defenders.

IVLP Impact Award Project: Youth and Civic Engagement

The project targeted out-of-school adolescents and youth in rural areas of the Haut Sassandra region of Central-western Côte d'Ivoire. The project trained 100 adolescents and youths aged 15 to 35 years who have never benefited from school programs focused on civic education and human rights. Through five training sessions lasting four days each, participants acquired knowledge and good practices in civic engagement and  how to be model citizens. The training explored the themes of inclusive and participatory civic engagement, human rights, gender equality, non-violent communication, prevention of misinformation, community conflicts related to elections, leadership, personal development, and life skills. As a result of the training workshops, participants also learned to reconcile their interpersonal and tribal conflicts. Kouassi reflected about his participants, saying “Today, they are ambassadors for peace and social cohesion, spreading the lessons of the training in their communities as modern citizens.”

"Your initiative is a fine one, offering a real alternative for educating young people outside the national education system. This kind of project should be encouraged, and you deserve to be supported.” - Project Partner

IVLP Exchange Experience 

Kouassi participated in the IVLP Project Youth and Civic Engagement, organized by the U.S. Department of State and Meridian International Center, in partnership with World Trade Center Institute, WorldBoston, Global Ties Alabama and Global Ties Kalamazoo.

Kouassi's exchange experience led to the development of his IVLP Impact Award Project: "American federalism is a great asset and a model for living together. It has contributed to the adoption of participatory governance that fosters citizen development. Based on these experiences, I have been keen to promote civic engagement in my country [with] teenagers and young people."

U.S. Communities Visited

Montgomery, AL; Washington, DC; Boston, MA; Baltimore, MD; Kalamazoo, MI

"I [have been] inspired by the new methods and best practices observed during my participation in the International Visitor Leadership Program (IVLP). I feel truly capable of sharing the knowledge acquired during [my] project with other young people and future leaders at local and national levels." - Kouassi Alfred N'da

Country: Côte d'Ivoire

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