Two Trinity students receive Projects for Peace Grants for Work in Burkina Faso and Senegal

Growing up in Burkina Faso, Benedicte Baile ’25 witnessed her community struggle with the effects of terrorism and displacement. Starting in 2016, escalating violence and insecurity resulted in two million people becoming internally displaced. Some of those displaced people landed in Benedicte’s home province of Zoundweogo, where many still suffer from a lack of access to basic resources like food and employment.

“These challenges are deeply personal to me, and I cannot stand by as my community suffers,” Benedicte wrote in her proposal.

Benedicte has worked extensively with local NGO Teel-Taaba on initiatives aimed at helping displaced people and refugees in her community. This experience inspired her to apply for Projects for Peace, a program that provides $10,000 grants to over 100 students each summer to design and implement a project that will further peace. Students are asked to define peace in their proposals and articulate how their project works toward that ideal.

Benedicte was one of two Trinity students selected for a Project for Peace grant this year. While at least one Trinity student has been awarded a Project for Peace every year since 2008 (Projects for Peace was founded in 2007), a second Trinity project has been occasionally awarded funding based on a competitive review of applications submitted by partner institutions.

Benedicte’s project implementation plan says she plans to implement “a community-driven agricultural initiative focused on training, resource distribution, and market access.” Anticipated outcomes include training over 50 refugees in sustainable agriculture; distribution of seeds, tools, and fertilizer; installation of irrigation systems and fencing; and establishing sale connections with at least three local markets.

Alexander Cacciato’s project inspiration came from a more recent experience. “Things started in 2023, when I met artists from Guédiawaye Hip Hop during their visit to Trinity College for Jokko Week (lit. [African Diaspora] Connection Week). Already focusing my history and global studies majors on French colonialism and its aftermath, I was deeply impressed by their success in promoting democratic participation through popular programming [in Senegal] that grappled with legacies of colonization,” wrote Alexander.

Alexander kept up with the artists online after further introductions from Professor Seth Markle. He followed along with their efforts to promote grassroots democratic engagement through Hip Hop, culminating in 2024 with widespread protests that ultimately prevented Senegal’s then-president from seeking an unconstitutional third term.

In early 2025, Alexander worked with Fou Malade and Malik Mboup, respectively Guédiawaye’s President and Programming Director, to develop a project to expand Guédiawaye’s successful programming to peri-urban and rural youth with low access to formal state and civic structures. Alexander wrote that they plan to “organize a traveling conference through four localities surrounding metropolitan Dakar, collecting and sharing stories of peri-urban and rural youth civic engagement.” The traveling conference will include youth-led discussions, collaborative art, and a collection of stories that will be shared through a multimedia archive.

Foumalade was on campus in April, taking part in the Trinity International Hip Hop Festival. During his visit, Alexander and Foumalade met in person for the first time and strategized about plans for the summer.

Benedicte and Alexander conceived of these projects separately, but the connection between the projects extends further than the fact that they both take place in West Africa. Both students began their journey at Trinity in Professor Garth Myers’ CTYP 101: Introduction to Urban Studies class, a first-year seminar coordinated through the Center for Urban and Global Studies (CUGS). As Projects for Peace is also coordinated through CUGS, these projects bring their journeys with the Center full circle from first year to senior year.

Benedicte and Alexander will present on their projects at a lecture at CUGS this fall. Students interested in learning more about Projects for Peace are encouraged to join the fall lecture and to reach out to Mark Hughes ([email protected]), Associate Director of Grants and Fellowships, or Gabby Nelson ([email protected]), Associate Director of CUGS, to discuss their ideas.