Projects for Peace
The Projects for Peace grants allow undergraduates, including University of Rochester students, to design grassroots projects focused on conflict resolution.
Projects for Peace is a global program that encourages young adults around the world to develop innovative, community-centered responses to the world’s most pressing issues.
International philanthropist Kathryn Wasserman Davis established the program in 2007 on her 100th birthday, committing $1M for the first 100 projects. Her family has continued the commitment ever since.
Every year, 100 or more student leaders are each awarded a $10,000 grant to implement a “Project for Peace,” anywhere in the world, typically over the summer. These activities address root causes of conflict and promote peace.
As a member of the Davis United World College Scholars Program, the University of Rochester is guaranteed funding for one project annually. Proposals may be submitted by any US or international student enrolled at a partner institution.
Learn more about the Project for Peace Fellowship and other fellowship, scholarship, and award opportunities available to Rochester students.
Recent Projects for Peace Grant Recipients
Congratulations to our most recent University of Rochester Projects for Peace recipient!
Nyasha Gwaza ’26
Major: Electrical and computer engineering (BS)
Gwaza came to the University of Rochester from the United World Colleges of Southern Africa, Waterford Kamhlaba high school. From May through August, she will return to her home in Gwanda, Zimbabwe for a project titled “Sewing Peace” at a local high school that she attended prior to studying at UWC Waterford.
The project’s objective is to divert young people from engaging in illegal gold panning activities and the resulting conflict with local environment management authorities, using sewing instruction as a means of socially acceptable economic self-sufficiency.
“I grew up in the Vumbachikwe and Blanket mine community, where I witnessed firsthand the devastating impact of gold panning on young people’s futures and the environment,” says Gwaza. “I chose this project because I believe that equipping youth with practical skills can break the cycle of poverty and restore dignity to communities affected by illegal mining. I hope these sewing workshops will inspire youth to choose sustainable livelihoods, rebuild their lives, and contribute to the healing of our community.”
Juliet Sullivan, the fellowships advisor in the Student Fellowships Office who coordinates the campus recruitment and nomination process for the summer grant, added “Nyasha impressed our committee with her creativity, practicality, and civic engagement, which are on full display in her Sewing Peace project.”
A highly active student at Rochester, Gwaza serves as the technical outreach and community help chair of the National Society of Black Engineers (NSBE), president of the UR Christian Fellowship, and a member of the Tau Beta Pi Engineering Honor Society. As a Schwartz Discover Grant recipient, she spent the summer of 2024 conducting research in the lab of Associate Professor Mohammad Mehrmohammadi from the Department of Imaging Sciences, and she is now a research assistant in the lab of Associate Professor Stephen Wu from the Department of Electrical and Computer Engineering.
