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. Kouassi has worked on important projects including community policing and the promotion of peaceful elections. He is a dedicated activist based outside of Abidjan and is committed to developing his community. He has worked on many projects such as 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 or do not benefit from school programs focused on civic education and human rights. Through five training sessions lasting four days each, these adolescents and young people from five localities took part in several activities and practical exercises. This training allowed them to acquire knowledge and good practices in civic engagement and to be model citizens. The themes the project explored were 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.

In addition to gaining knowledge on how to participate as citizens more actively, Kouassi shared multiple stories of participants reconciling their interpersonal and tribal conflicts as a result of the workshops. 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 was a participant in the IVLP Project Youth and Civic Engagement, organized by the U.S. Department of State and Meridian International Center.

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 level." - Kouassi Alfred N'da

Country: Côte d'Ivoire

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