User:Ferdinand IF99/sandbox

BIOGRAPHY OF GAD NIYOMUKUNZI
Gad Niyomukunzi is a Burundian artist and entrepreneur known as Gad Brighton. He is passionate about recycling plastics, slam poetry, and painting. Gad was born on 15th of February, 1990 at Kanyosha, southern of Bujumbura. In 1995, his family fled to Tanzania and settled in Mutabira refugee camp. Returning to his native country in 2000, he attended Rukinga primary school in Rumonge province. In 2007, he attended Cibitoke boarding school where his leadership skills were discovered. He was elected many times as class representative even at Lycée de la Convivialité de Kanyosha whereby in 2012 was elected as student’s representative. In 2013, he attended University of Burundi and got elected as well as class representative till he got his bachelor degree in English language and literature. In 2013, he started attending Kinindo American Corner where he worked as a volunteer. He ran English discussion table program which gathered a lot of young persons weekly. He realized that most of them were unemployed and would like to create jobs for themselves. Therefore, he initiated Makerspace program dealing with recycling plastics into decorative items. Through this program, he founded Makerspace Burundi, an organization dealing with recycling plastics. The fact that he chose this work is because he does believe that plastics are unused potential that could be recycled to fight against problems causing climate change and pollution. In addition, through recycling, youths can not only create their own jobs but also protect the environment. Then, he organized plastics recycling trainings within the corner to raise awareness of the youth for self-job creation. In 2018, when Kinindo American Corner closed, he shifted his recycling program to Kamenge American corner where he still works as a volunteer. In 2018, he got selected as a fellow of YALI Regional Leadership in Nairobi. There, he met other young leaders and entrepreneurs. The fellowship made his mind shaped. When he came back, he organized plastics recycling workshop within the American Center inside the U.S Embassy in Bujumbura that empowered more than a hundred of youths. No one can ignore that plastics are found almost everywhere. He is now running community services in his area to collect plastics and other garbage that should damage Tanganyika lake. He organizes home outreach to sensitize how plastics pollute the soil. He collaborates with schools and other groups like scouts to mobilize as many as young people to involve them in community services. Everyone brings their equipment from home that serve to clean up the area. In the near future, he plans to establish dustbins on each home so that people throw garbage into them. This initiative will help him to easily collect plastics that he needs for recycling. In addition, it will make his area very clean and organized. He also plans to implement plastics recycling clubs all around Burundi starting by American corners, high schools and universities. He wants youth to grow with this mindset of recycling plastics so that they create their own jobs through recycling and protect the environment as well.