Mohamed Bah and Bandagne Fall are partnering with the Institute for Sustainable Communities (ISC) through the U.S. State Department’s Community Engagement Exchange (CEE) Program. For twelve weeks, Mohamed and Bandagne, emerging young international leaders, are working at ISC, collaborating on climate equity initiatives and preparing the community engagement project they will undertake upon returning to Mohamed’s home in Sierra Leone and Bandagne’s home in Senegal.
“We are honored and excited to add Mohamed and Bandagne’s experience elevating the youth perspective to our programs at ISC,” said Trina Mallik, ISC’s vice president of Global Programs and acting co-president. “ISC’s approach to climate change is centered around equity. The perspectives of our fellows will help amplify our mission to create more sustainable communities, shaped and shared by all.”
Mohamed and Bandagne are business entrepreneurs and community development advocates with passion for youth development. Mohamed worked previously as a consultant at the Ministry of Water Resources and several other National and international non-government organizations (NGOs) in Sierra Leone before he founded Information For All Sierra Leone in 2018, a climate justice organization. In 2020, Mohamed received the Anzisha Prize as one of the best young African environmental entrepreneurs, supported by the African Leadership Academy and the Mastercard Foundation in South Africa. Bandagne utilizes her Agronomist background and asset-based community development expertise to enhance the leadership and health of women and girls in rural areas of her community. Bandagne has worked in various international associations and NGOs like The Scout Movement, Corps Africa, African Union Youth Volunteer Corps, African Youth Panel of Mastercard Foundation, and private and public companies in the Agro-Food sector in Senegal.
ISC is a global climate change organization that combines technical expertise with equity and design-centered strategies to build a more sustainable future. The CEE Program is a dynamic global network of innovators working with communities to address critical 21st Century issues. CEE is a year-long program designed to enable civil society leaders, ages 20-27, to harness the power of networks, relationships, and information for the public good, specifically on issues related to civic dialogue and peacebuilding, open and participatory government, women and gender, resilience and sustainable development, and youth engagement.
The CEE Program is sponsored by the U.S. Department of State with funding provided by the U.S. Government and supported in its implementation by IREX.
Founded in 1991, the global climate change mission of the Institute for Sustainable Communities is to help people around the world tackle environmental, economic, and social challenges in building a better future shaped and shared by all. The Institute combines environmental and climate technical expertise and equity to design people-centered strategies and solutions. We work with communities hardest hit by climate change and the sectors and stakeholders whose influence and decisions affect sustainability, environmental quality, health, and resiliency. ISC’s equity and environmental justice practitioners, co-led by Pradnya Haldipur, Trina Mallik, and Nicholas Stevens.
Learn more about the CEE Program on Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, or the CEE website.