Earlhamites win $10,000 Project for Peace and Earlham Peace Prize Awards

Two Earlham College students have been selected for $10,000 grants to develop innovative responses to challenges facing communities in Mozambique and South Africa. Gina Mariana Magno Manhica will assist with energy assets in her home country of Mozambique, while Mbali Mhlongo will work to foster sexual health and education in South Africa.

‘Threat multiplier’: improving access to energy in Mozambique

Gina Mariana Magno Manhica is Earlham’s recipient of the 2025 Project for Peace award. Her project focuses on the energy desert that is her home country of Mozambique. She plans to install three small solar panel kits at a local primary school and additional kits at 64 single-family homes in the community of Kachane, near the city of Moamba. Titled “Luz de Esperança,” Manhica’s project partners with MySol Moçambique, a company that operates in the renewable energy sector and is one of the main suppliers of solar panels in areas without electricity in Mozambique.

“As a child, I remember always crying when I had to visit my grandparents because they did not have electricity in their precarious rural area, despite their constant complaints and frustrations with the government, a government that never did anything to give them access to energy,” says Manhica. “Access to energy is one of the biggest challenges in sub-Saharan Africa. The issues faced due to the lack of energy access in Mozambique can be seen in different areas in Moamba.”

From being forced to use kerosene lamps, fires, torches, candles and batteries as alternate energy sources to government protests and the negative effects of using alternate light sources, such as respiratory concerns, the energy poverty and its ripple effects, such as deforestation to obtain firewood for lighting, are felt throughout Kachane. Manhica hopes to address this “Threat Multiplier.”

Priority will be given in distributing the solar panels to families with elderly and children. In addition to supplying the solar panel kits, Manhica, in partnership with MySol Mozambique, will organize trainings to teach community members how to take care of the kits properly, including maintenance, which can also lay groundwork for a source of income for young people in this impoverished area.

“Luz da Esperança will improve the quality of life of more than 300 people in Kachane, which will reduce the frustration and resentment towards the Mozambican government and will also avoid future conflicts,” explained Manhica. “The project will not only allow the community to fight energy poverty but will also provide them with a safe, long-lasting, and clean source of energy without carbon emissions. Energy will also allow the community to better communicate with people outside the area, have a source of entertainment, and effectively access their civic right to information.”

Projects for Peace is a global program administered by Middlebury College that partners with educational institutions to identify and support young peacebuilders.

Consent is care: improving sexual wellness in South Africa

Mbali Mhlongo cares deeply for her home country of South Africa. Namely, she wants young girls and boys to have a better understanding of what sexual consent means and the warning signs of sexual and dating violence.

Winner of the 2025 Earlham Peace Prize, which is funded by the President’s Discretionary Fund, Mhlongo plans to travel to South Africa during the summer months to facilitate workshops with young girls and boys via a nonprofit called Star for Life.

The nonprofit does work throughout South Africa, Namibia, and Sweden to empower young people through education, health, and cultural identity programming. Mbali’s peacebuilding initiative seeks to address systemic patriarchy and cultural norms within her South African community that normalize dating and sexual violence. Many girls in South Africa lack knowledge about consent, and cultural beliefs emphasize male dominance, leading to the objectification of women and normalization of gender inequality and underreporting of sexual violence.

Seven-day educational workshops in the town of Mtubatuba, facilitated by Star For Life and Mhlongo and separated into “boys” and “girls” groups, will address core concepts like mutual consent, healthy relationships, and gender equality, leading participants to challenge entrenched beliefs about gender roles and sexual entitlement.

“These workshops will empower people to express their boundaries and desires, helping to shift the culture toward respect and equality in relationships,” says Mhlongo. “They will also promote healthy relationships, empower boys to challenge harmful norms, and teach girls self-defense and self-advocacy skills.”

Nurses, social workers and local police will be present at all sessions to offer resources and support to any attendee in need. Through interactive activities and open discussions, students will gain practical tools to recognize abusive behaviors, report incidents, and seek help. The 7-day workshop will include time to participants to get to know one another and break the ice, followed by listening and learning sessions on sexual violence, consent, allyship, fostering respect, self-defense and empowerment. Divided sessions on the third day of this week-long workshop handle more specific scenarios like cultivating healthy masculinity and recognizing the signs of abuse. The workshop will close on the seventh day with a ceremony and gifts.

“The long-term goal of this project is to significantly reduce, if not eliminate, sexual violence,” said Mhlongo. “We will empower individuals with the confidence and knowledge to recognize early warning signs of sexual abuse, seek professional support, and speak out with assurance. Ultimately, we will foster a safer and more informed community.”

Written by Jay Kibble, writer/editor for Earlham College Office of Marketing and Communications

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About Earlham College 

Earlham College and Earlham School of Religion foster a collaborative learning community that inspires and motivates students with transformative opportunities and experiences so they can become catalysts for good in a changing world. Located in Richmond, Indiana, Earlham is one of U.S. News & World Report’s Top 100 national liberal arts colleges and offers one of the top 20 classroom experiences in the nation, according to the Princeton Review.