Bachirou Bachirou | Cameroon
Bachirou Bachirou is an activist with five years experience in community development, humanitarian action, and peacebuilding. Currently, Bachirou is a program assistant at Public Concern, helping the organization assess vulnerable communities for crisis and disaster and using advocacy and fundraising to support them in addressing those problems. Bachirou holds a masters degree in Project Management Analysis and Evaluation from the Higher Institute of Economic and Commercial Sciences of the University of Douala. He has contributed to reintegrating about 455 vulnerable young people (refugees, internally displaced persons, and ex-fighters of extremist groups), including 200 women, into the socioeconomic fabric by providing them with vocational training and start-up kits to launch businesses. He also runs Youth Action for Peace and Sustainable Development (YAPSUD), which he created to promote peace among young people and to counter violent extremism through volunteerism in Cameroon. On completion of the Mandela Washington Fellowship for Young African Leaders, Bachirou hopes to use YAPSUD to prevent violent extremism and the recidivism of women ex-inmates by helping 1,000 at-risk youth and 100 women ex-inmates reintegrate into society through training in income-generating skills, leadership, and peacebuilding.