Mr. Benard Kahwa
Executive Director
John Paul II Justice and Peace Centre, Kampala, Uganda
+256 781 996 608, info@laudato-youthinitiative.org
Mr. Kahwa is the Executive Director of the Laudato Youth Initiative (LYI), where he leads his team and draws on 12 years of experience in media and communication. He also serves on Expert Groups related to community development, water, food security, youth agripreneurship, and community engagement. Additionally, he acts as the focal person for the Initiative to the Laudato Si Consortium, Justice and Peace, and STEM Innovations for research and sustainability, helping LYI to collaborate with various corporate partners.
He is committed to empowering youth through sustainability-oriented skilled trades and promotes community models that conserve the environment while enhancing livelihoods. Acknowledging unemployment as a major driver of youth poverty, he emphasizes the craftsmanship sector’s role in safeguarding the environment, people, and cultural heritage. He encourages youth to build practical skills in craft production, recycling, upcycling, and pottery using local materials to support cultural preservation and sustainable livelihoods. For Laudato Si Club members, he inspires career paths focused on sustainability, peace, and environmental conservation, motivating them to pursue positive change in their professional endeavors.
Under Benard’s visionary leadership, the Laudato Youth Initiative cultivates a culture of listening, dialogue, and action to foster Climate Education, guided by the motto “United for Climate Action,” rooted in Integral Ecology and inspired by the Uganda Martyrs but St. Adolf Mukasa Ludigho. His background includes broadcast and print journalism, behavioral change communication, and development communication. He currently lectures in media and communication at Nkumba University and Mountains of the Moon University.
He previously served as a news reporter for the Daily Monitor, Uganda’s leading private newspaper, and as a radio presenter at Voice of Tooro. Kahwa has contributed to research projects and developed communication strategies for non-governmental organizations and government agencies, including the Dairy Development Authority of Uganda, Girls Not Brides, and Caritas Fort Portal. He has also conducted national baseline surveys for organizations such as the African Institute for Investigative Journalism and Reproductive Health Uganda. He remains dedicated to utilizing media and communication to promote behavioral change and development.
He holds a Master of Arts degree in Journalism and Communication from Makerere University and a Bachelor’s degree in Mass Communications from Kampala International University.
