Nassa Bbiira Kiwanuka
2023 IVLP Impact Award Project: Small Community Actions, Global ImpactUganda
Nassa Bbiira Kiwanuka has more than 15 years of experience working with young people to create young leaders. He is passionate about building a community that is self-philanthropic and solves their own development challenges. Nassa has led community initiatives focused on building local democratic institutions and environmental protection institutions. He believes everyone should be an active participant in the development processes of their communities and can shape the global good.
IVLP Impact Award Project: Small Community Actions, Global Impact
The project created a network and platform for communities to self-discover the positive role they play in influencing the global environment. More than 260 community members were trained on the Farmer Managed Natural Regeneration (FMNR) model to build the community’s capacity to conserve the environment and shape their social and economic well-being. The FMNR initiatives included a community nursery bed with more than 1,129 trees, a community woodlot, and an apiary hub. Ten monthly meetings were organized for some 896 community members where Nassa shared his IVLP experience and the knowledge that he gained.
“This project has been down to earth and as a community, we are committed to growing this community woodlot into a forest where all FMNR benefits are collected by us as a community together.” – Project Participant
IVLP Exchange Experience
Nassa participated in the IVLP Project Sustainability and the Extractive Industry organized by the U.S. Department of State and Institute of International Education, in partnership with Minot Area Council for International Visitors, Global Ties Idaho, and World Affairs Council of Kentucky & Southern Indiana.
Nassa's exchange experience led to the development of his IVLP Impact Award Project: "[My project] will amplify the good experience [learned] from the International Visitor Leadership Program as a way of shaping local communities to embrace the conservation agenda for the world through innovative green entrepreneurship and land reclamation for sustainable development."
U.S. Communities Visited
Washington, DC; Boise, ID; Louisville, KY; Minot, ND