Haroun Yasser Sangaré is an entrepreneur specialized in the cultural and creative industries. With 10 years of business experience, Yasser's background as a business developer has given him a detailed understanding of the ICT (Information and Communication Technology) environment and its key players within Burkina Faso and Africa as a whole. Yasser has worked as the Secretary General of the Marketing and Sales Director's Club of Burkina Faso.

Yasser is a founding member of the Koura Association, which promotes entrepreneurship and innovation. In this role, he helps business owners define and refine their project ideas, showing them how to achieve their goals. To have a deeper impact on his community, Yasser joined the Dream VC program in 2022 and is now a part of a pan-African network focusing on African start-up ecosystems. In addition to his work and affiliations, Yasser is an alum of the YALI (Youth African Leadership Initiative) Mandela Washington Fellowship Program. Through YALI, he studied business leadership at the University of Texas at Austin in 2021. 

IVLP Impact Award Project: Women's Empowerment Workshop: Focus on Financial Literacy and Biofertilizer

The project supported 30 women in Tanguin-Dassouri and helped them develop financial independence through sustainable farming practices. The goal of the project was to emancipate, empower, and support women which would, in turn, support their families and communities. The project featured a 4-day workshop where the women were taught how to improve the quality and productivity of their agricultural crops, and how to reduce the use of chemical fertilizers to produce healthier products. It also enabled the women to better distribute and manage their income and to better understand the market. By the end of the project, the participants produced 1 ton of compost and 88% had opened a savings account, up from 18% at the project’s start.

Yasser was also a panelist for the IVLP Impact Awards Alumni Discussion Series panel on “Women’s Empowerment” which you can read more about here.

Project participants developing biofertilizer

Project participants researching local markets

Awardee Haroun Yasser presenting a Certificate of Completion to a project participant

Click here to watch Haroun's Project Highlights

IVLP Exchange Experience 

Yasser was a participant in the IVLP Project Youth and Civic Engagement: Promoting Civil Society and Respect for the Rule of Law, organized by the U.S. Department of State and Meridian International Center.

Yasser's exchange experience led to the development of his IVLP Impact Award Project: "During my IVLP experience in 2022, I was struck by the enthusiasm and commitment of many of the speakers I met."

U.S. Communities Visited

Tucson, AZ; Washington, DC; New Orleans, LA; Boston, MA; Kalamazoo, MI

"[Mary Brown's] faith in human potential particularly touched me and guides my choices for impact projects. I'm trying... to make a positive impact on the women of Tanguin-Dassouri with the same energy." - Haroun Yasser Sangaré

Country: Burkina Faso 

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