Stevi Dugas

University of Richmond Student Receives Projects for Peace Grant for Work in Ghana

Senior Stevi Dugas Will Support Entrepreneurship and Career Preparation for Single Mothers and Youths
April 28, 2026
Stevi Dugas volunteered with youth in Ghana in 2024. 

UNIVERSITY OF RICHMOND — University of Richmond senior Stevi Dugas has received a Projects for Peace grant for her project aimed at breaking cycles of poverty among single mothers and youth in Ghana.

Projects for Peace awards $10,000 to students who develop grassroots projects that focus on finding solutions for resolving conflict and maintaining peace. 

Dugas, a senior from Gonzales, Louisiana, will partner with the Play & Learn Foundation for a two-part project, titled Abusua (Twi for “family”) Africa.

The project will support Play & Learn’s Mama Africa Single Mothers Entrepreneurship Project, a six-month training program that aids single mothers struggling with poverty in the Okponglo and La Bawaleshie communities of Accra, Ghana.

“The Play & Learn Foundation has found that even those who have benefitted from the Mama Africa programming continue to struggle with capital and gaining the level of professional assistance needed to substantially expand their businesses,” said Dugas, a mathematical economics major.  

Dugas will provide seed grants and data analysis support to women who have recently participated in the Play & Learn Foundation program.  

For the second part of her project, Dugas will organize a career fair for youths in the community. The career fair will include speaker sessions featuring professionals from a variety of fields as well as sessions led by Dugas aimed at developing resumes and preparing for interviews.

“My goal is for this project to provide aid that is dignified, empowering, and sustainable for the women it serves, their families, and the broader Okponglo/La Bawaleshie communities,” said Dugas. “I had the privilege of studying abroad in Ghana during the fall 2024 semester, and while there I volunteered with Play & Learn. Okponglo and La Bawaleshie are incredibly special places, and I am excited and thankful for the opportunity to work with this community again.” 

Past Projects for Peace recipients at UR have completed projects that promoted environmental peace in Taiwan, supported women artisans in rural Pakistan, mitigated human-wildlife conflict in Kenya, and combatted youth unemployment in Nigeria.

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