Bonaventure Bondo is an environmentalist and climate activist based in Kinshasa in the Democratic Republic of the Congo. He is the founder and national coordinator of the Youth Movement for the Protection of the Environment. It’s a youth organization working in the fight against climate change and biodiversity loss in the DRC.
Bonaventure’s efforts focus on protecting forests, promoting renewable energies, defending the rights of local communities, and campaigning against the exploitation of fossil fuels in the Congo Basin Rainforest. He has more than 5 years of experience in engaging and educating young people on environmental issues, fighting to make the voices of young people heard, and advocating for their participation in their country’s decision-making process.
Bondo is one of 25 Mandela Fellowship for Young African Leaders who are at FGCU for a Leadership Institute. The Mandela Washington Fellowship for Young African Leaders is part of the U.S. Government’s Young African Leaders Initiative. It was launched in 2014 by President Barack Obama to address the need for strong and effective leadership in Africa. Over the past decade nearly 5,800 young leaders from every country in Sub-Saharan Africa have participated in the Fellowship. Ranging in age from 25 to 35, each of them has already established a record of promoting innovation and positive impact in their communities and countries.
As part of the Fellowship, they participate in a six-week Leadership Institute hosted by a U.S. college or university. Florida Gulf Coast University is currently hosting 25 Mandela Fellows, so we sat down with Bonaventure to get to know him and learn about the work that he does.
After completing the Mandela Washington fellowship, Bonaventure plans to set up a Congolese youth HUB on climate to help young people enact initiatives and projects in the climate sector and energy transition, create micro-projects for young people focused on innovation, and try to guide the development of inclusive national climate policies.
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