Think Creative Fall 2024

Rosa Isabel Melgar (center) is one of 1,500 Agents of Change across Honduras working with USAID's Sembrando Esperanza program to build her leadership skills and spearhead community projects.

Attempts to resist or enforce these orders often resulted in violent confrontations between security agencies and youth. The frequent clashes concerned Sedou—he was often called on to intervene on behalf of the youth to resolve conflicts and saw first-hand how the situation negatively affected social cohesion. Since his return to Cinkassé after graduating with a degree in human resource management from the university in Lomé, Sedou became a respected youth leader in his community. “When friends tell me that what I'm doing is dangerous, the answer I often give them is that it's because I want to be useful to my communi ty. It's my passion,” Sedou says. In addition to his activism to calm tensions between youth and authorities, Sedou, who uses crutches, is passionate about ensuring that disabled people have equal opportunities and inclusion. “I noticed that people with disabilities were discriminated against, and so as one of the few disabled university graduates, I wanted to change that narrative,” Sedou says. Sedou’s activism secured him a spot as one of 120 youth representatives to receive training on preventing violent extremism, peacebuild ing, social cohesion and early warning, an

activity supported by the USAID/OTI Littorals Regional Initiative initiative facilitated by Timbuktu Institute and organized by Togo’s National Youth Council. After the first training, Sedou and 19 other promising youth leaders were chosen to par ticipate in an advanced advocacy and con flict-sensitive communication session. “We [the youth] are the majority,” Sedou says. “We are also the ones being recruited to play a role in these conflicts. So, it is important that the young people are informed and get more in volved so we can better preserve peace.” Sedou now goes from house to house to sensitize his peers and his community about the need for social cohesion, early warning and preventing violent extremism. Sedou and his peers from the training have en gaged more than 1,000 men, women and youth across Togo’s Savanes Region and continue to reach more residents. As a result of these engagements, the relationship between the au thorities and youth has improved, evidenced by increased collaboration on information sharing and security updates. “My dream is of Cinkassé where everyone is at peace, where there is this social cohesion, there are no prejudices based on ethnicities, social standing or disability,” Sedou says.

my leadership skills and the ability to positively influence my surroundings.” Developing local youth leaders like Melgar sets communities up to prosper and build resilience. When young people see viable opportunities in their neighborhoods, they are less likely to migrate in search of better prospects, ensur ing that their talents and innovations benefit their neighborhoods. This social and economic development approach helps build resilient, self-sustaining communities where future generations can thrive. Supporting youth-led social cohesion Weeks after Togo recorded its first case of COVID-19 in March 2020, Azizi Sedou noticed a deterioration in the relationship between youth and authorities in and around Cinkassé town in Togo’s Savanes region. Preventive measures to curb the spread of the virus—including the banning of mass gath erings and closing markets, businesses and borders—had started to take a toll on the eco nomic and social well-being of the population.

Azizi Sedou goes from house to house in his community in Togo to engage residents about the need for social cohesion and conflict prevention.

Photo by Jim Huylebroek

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