100 Projects for Peace Award

Seeds of Hope: Education and Rehabilitation of Displaced Gaza Children in Egypt

The “Seeds of Hope” project, led by Mohammad Usrof (GU-Q’25) and Rania Harrara (GU-Q’26), provided holistic support to displaced Gaza youth in Egypt through a combination of psychological care and educational opportunities. The primary goal was to foster resilience and learning for youth in a culturally sensitive manner. Implemented through workshops in refugee settlements and community centers, the project offered therapeutic activities and educational content facilitated by experts and special guests. These workshops were designed to address the mental and emotional well-being of the children, integrating elements of their cultural heritage and experiences to create a structured curriculum that enhances academic learning and emotional intelligence. The project also included a media justice initiative in collaboration with Slow Factory, allowing children to share their stories and experiences. Additionally, the creation of a digital archive and resource center, development of training programs for local educators and mental health professionals, and the establishment of an international student exchange and mentorship program all contribute to the project’s long-term sustainability and global understanding of the impact of conflict on youth.

NextGen Leaders: Rescuing Children from Child Labor in India

NextGen Leaders, spearheaded by Ritik Raj (SFS’24), aims to support youth at risk of child labor in the informal economies of Rajasthan, Madhya Pradesh, and Maharashtra. Child labor in these regions is both a symptom and perpetuator of poverty and social disparities. By organizing workshops in specific villages, the project engaged youth and their parents. These workshops demonstrated the value of education as an enriching alternative to work for children, and as a viable path out of poverty for parents. Collaborating with local institutions and leveraging Teach for India’s extensive network, the initiative focused on enrolling children in schools and promoting inclusive education. With a track record in five other Indian states and a robust volunteer network, NextGen Leaders aims to expand its reach, conducting 50 workshops and enrolling 500-600 children in schools. NextGen protects youth from unjust labor but also and envisions them as future leaders and changemakers in their communities, fostering long-term sustainability through community ownership and collaboration with local businesses and NGOs

Samajasathi Khel (Sports to Community)

The 2023 100 Projects for Peace Award at Georgetown University was granted to Himaja Reddy and Ananya Amirthalingam for their project, “Samajasathi Khel,” which translates to “Sports to Community” in English. This project utilized power of team sports to build a mentally healthy, cooperative, and empowered community of children in rural Maharashtra, India. Over three weeks, a cohort of 100+ students and eight sports instructors participated in activities designed to promote physical health, mental well-being, and empowerment. The program focused on balanced nutrition, physical activity, and mental health lessons to foster open-mindedness and resilience among rural children. Inspired by the student awardees’ collaboration with the Mann Deshi Foundation, the project also addressed the stigmatization of the Pardhi community, a historically marginalized nomadic tribe. By integrating mental health education into sports activities, the project created a welcoming environment, encouraged conversations on mental health, and developed healthy coping mechanisms. The initiative included practical mental health techniques, team-building activities, and support for local vendors, contributing to a more inclusive and supportive community.

Peace Authors (Previously called Peace Books / Книги Миру)

Elena Sapelyuk (SFS ’23)

The Peace Authors project provides psychosocial support to refugee Ukrainian youth through a structured program focused on developing creative writing and peacebuilding skills. The program ran in Budva, Montenegro with a cohort of 20 refugee students in the summer of 2022.

Read Aloud with Kashmir

Janeeta Shaukat (NHS ’24)

Read-Aloud with Kashmir aims to increase educational equity and access to literacy in Azad Kashmir, Pakistan. The project worked to achieve this goal by i) providing school supplies and textbooks to students in need, ii) giving teacher training on a whole child approach to education, and iii) creating libraries in schools.

Brave Behind the Bullet Initiative

Denzell Brown (COL’21) – Summer 2021

Denzell Brown, class of 2021, studied Psychology and African American Studies at Georgetown College and is currently pursuing a degree in Clinical Psychology at Howard University. As the 2021 recipient of the Davis Projects for Peace Award, Denzell created the “Brave Behind the Bullet Initiative.” Developed from Denzell’s experience of being a native Washingtonian who witnessed a disproportionate amount of Black youth lose their lives to gun violence and as an extension of his honors thesis, Understanding Black Mothers Who Lost A Child To Gun Violence, the initiative responds to Black mothers’ requests for mental health services and advocacy support. Throughout the summer, Denzell coordinated therapy sessions for Black women who lost family members to gun violence as well as a session with Councilmember McDuffie for participants to voice their needs. In October, Denzell also facilitated a restorative justice role play at the Guns Down Gloves Up Summit with initiative participants and therapist Jenn Wiggins for community healing.

Sawtek al’Aalam

Yasmeen El-Hasan (SFS’20, MSFS’21) – Summer 2020

Due to COVID-19 complications, 18 months passed between Yasmeen El-Hasan being awarded the Davis Project for Peace and completing Sawtek al’Aalam in October 2021, during which time she received two degrees from Georgetown University. Sawtek al’Aalam, or “Your Voice is the World,” is a community- and arts-based youth program in Yasmeen’s family hometown of Ya’bad, Palestine. By and for the community, it aims to provide Ya’bad’s youth with a creative space to develop skills as well as a platform upon which to share their stories through artistic expression. Word about the project is spreading more, and the Minister of Education has reached out to discuss the project. Sawtek al’Aalam’s immediate impact is at the micro-level of individual and community support and relationship-building, but we hope that these small ripples play a role in the shaping of our next generation.

Think and Share: In Somaliland

Mustafe Axmed (SFS-Q’21) – Summer 2019

Mustafe Axmed, class of 2021, is pursuing a degree in International Economics at Georgetown’s Doha, Qatar campus. As the 2019 recipient of the Davis Projects for Peace Award, Mustafe created a project with peers and colleagues in his home country of Somaliland, an autonomous state in Northern Somalia. The project, “Think and Share”, combined digital storytelling and in-person dialogues for Somaliland’s young people to discuss and confront tribalism and division in Somaliland. These spaces invited youth to exchange, debate, and engage in sensitive subjects they were not previously comfortable discussing. The media platform also served to connect NGOs, both in Somaliland and abroad, working on similar issues. Mustafe organized a presentation about the project when he returned GU’s Doha campus the following fall. He encouraged fellow students to give back to their own respective communities and put their ideas into action.

P.E.A.C.E. Haiti – Promoting Education in Civic Engagement

Rebecca Hinkhouse (SFS’19) and Sabrina Leon Landegger (COL’19) – Summer 2019

Rebecca Hinkhouse and Sabrina Leon Landegger graduated from Georgetown in 2019. Becca studied International Politics in the SFS with a minor in French, and Sabrina majored in psychology with minors in Music and Education, Inquiry, and Social Justice. As recipients of Georgetown’s 2018 Projects for Peace Award, they developed and piloted a leadership development curriculum with a Haitian NGO that uses soccer as a tool for social change. Becca is now working as the Advocacy & Engagement Fellow at UNICEF USA, where she mobilizes supporters to promote U.S. policy initiatives that further UNICEF’s mission. Sabrina is spending the year in Hong Kong teaching English at a local school.

From 37th to 37th: Peace, Love, and Storytelling in a Washington, DC Neighborhood

Ali Forger (C’17) & Laura Dickinson (COL’18) – Summer 2017

Ali Forger and Laura Dickinson are seniors in the College graduating in May 2018 – Ali with degrees in Justice and Peace Studies and English and Laura with a degree in Biology of Global Health. As the 2017 awardees, Ali and Laura worked with youth leaders to develop a community-based, summer-long arts program culminating in an event to showcase the talents and passions of young men and women from the community of 37th Street SE in Washington, DC. At Georgetown, they have worked as coordinators for the Center for Social Justice After School Kids (ASK) Program, which provides tutoring and mentoring services to court-involved youth. Ali will join Teach for America in New Orleans, where she will serve as a special education teacher for grades 6-12.

Hamaari Kahaani, Our Story (India)

Devika Ranjan (SFS’17) – Summer 2016

Devika graduated from the School of Foreign Service in 2017 with a degree in Culture and Politics and a minor in Arabic. As the Davis Projects for Peace awardee, Devika created an interactive theatre workshop with women on the India-Pakistan border. After graduation, Devika received the Marshall Scholarship from the British Foreign and Commonwealth Office to continue this work. She studies Sociology at the University of Cambridge and she focuses on the stories of asylum-seekers who have been electronically tagged. Next year, she will move to London to pursue a degree in theatre-making, in which she will continue to tell stories about migration and identity.

The Orenda Project (Pakistan)

Ahwaz Akhtar & Haroon Yasin (SFS-Q’16) – Summer 2015

Ahwaz Akhtar and Haroon Yasin graduated from the School of Foreign Service in Qatar in 2016, and have continued to work on the Orenda Project, their Davis project. Orenda has grown to serve 2,900 children in Pakistan, providing them with quality education that imparts numeracy and literacy skills. In Pakistan, Ahwaz has also worked with MIT’s Poverty Action Lab in expanding immunization access to children in underserved areas. Ahwaz hopes to embark on graduate studies soon, in the fields of health and education. Due to his work with Orenda, Haroon was selected as an Acumen Fellow for Pakistan in 2017 and received the Queen’s Young Leader Award in 2018. Haroon hopes to focus on creating scalable digital learning solutions and transforming Orenda into a sustainable social enterprise.

A Breath of Fresh Air (Rwanda)

Phil Wong (SFS’15) & Philip Dearing (COL’15) – Summer 2014

Phil Wong graduated from the School of Foreign Service with a degree in Science, Technology, and International Affairs (STIA). As a student, Phil co-founded Misfit Juicery, a food company that aims to fight food waste by creating delicious products from supply chain inefficiencies. Phil continues to build Misfit with his co-founder, Ann Yang (F’16). Philip graduated magna cum laude from the College with a degree in Political Economy and Arabic. After graduation, he worked at Bridgespan, a nonprofit consulting firm, and now serves as the Chief of Staff of College Bound Dorchester, a Boston community-based nonprofit. As Davis Project for Peace awardees, Phil and Philip worked with the Rwandan Government and SNV to increase the availability and durability of clean cookstove technology in Rwamagana, Rwanda.

Environmental Education in Kenya

Kaite & Maggie Ferrato (COL’14) – Summer 2013

Maggie and Katie graduated from the College – Maggie with a degree in History and minors in Environmental Studies and Justice and Peace Studies and Katie with a degree in Government and Certificate in Arab Studies. Maggie serves as an Associate Legislative Assistant in the Office of Senator Sheldon Whitehouse, where she is responsible for advancing the Senator’s environment, energy, and agriculture policy priorities. Katie is a paralegal at the Department of Justice Antitrust Division. As Davis awardees, Maggie and Katie worked in partnership with the Jesuit Hakimani Center to design and host a environmental peacebuilding workshop that explored the nexus of environmental health and human prosperity and carry out two community improvement projects at a local parish and school, Summer 2013 which included tree planting and the installation of a water pump.

Women LEAD (Nepal)

Claire Naylor(SFS’11), Meredith Jacobs(BSBA’13) & Claire Charamnag(SFS’11) – Summer 2011

Claire Naylor graduated from the School of Foreign Service with a degree in Culture and Politics and a certificate in Justice and Peace Studies in 2012. Claire serves as the Executive Director of Women LEAD Nepal and received the Peace X Peace’s Generation Peace Award and the UN Global Education Initiative’s Youth Courage Award for her work. WLEAD is the first leadership and professional development organization for young women in Nepal. Upon graduating, she returned to Kathmandu to turn the program into a full-fledged nonprofit, WLEAD, with the vision of a better world where women leaders co-create the future. From a group of just 28 girls in 2010, Claire has now equipped almost 2,500 young women with the skills, support, and opportunities needed to become leaders and change-makers. In 2016, Women LEAD’s girl-centered and girl-led approach was recognized by the With and For Girls Award.

Stinky Peace Project (Tajikistan)

David Lee (COL’11) – Summer 2010

David is a graduate of the College, Class of 2011, where he studied Government and Political Theory. He earned a Maters in International Policy from Stanford University in 2016. As the Davis awardee in 2010 in Tajikstan. He is the founder and former Executive Director (2008-2015) of The Stinky Peace ProjectTM. The project converts organic waste into usable cooking and heating fuel in the form of biomass briquettes in Afghanistan, Tajikistan, Rwanda, and the Democratic Republic of Congo. Previously, David was a Special Advisor to the Ministry of Energy of Thailand, developing their biomass energy portfolio in Northern Thailand. David is on the Board of To Educate All Children, and is a member of The Philanthropy Workshop.

One World Africa Youth Summit

Jess Rimington (SFS’09) – Summer 2007 

Jess Rimington graduated from School of Foreign Service in 2009. She continues her career as an activist, strategist, and entrepreneur working to eradicate inequity that dehumanizes people. Jess currently works in leadership and support roles in pursuit of more just economic and political systems. She serves as a Visiting Scholar at Stanford University within the Global Projects Center, where she works to investigate best practices in co-creative innovation and is writing a forthcoming book exploring this body of research. Jess writes: “I’ve recently thought back to my Projects for Peace work in doing my work at Stanford as there were some learnings and early ideas and questions I had in 2007 that I’m still grappling with and considering today in my research. Amazing how such early experiences can be so impacting.”