Nhial Deng, Amala Peacebuilding alumnus, wins the prestigious Global Student Prize
Image credit: Chegg.org
The last time we spoke to Nhial Deng, 24-year old Amala alumnus, South Sudanese refugee, passionate global advocate for equitable refugee education and now Global Student Prizewinner, was back in 2020. When we asked him during that interview about his aspirations for the future, he said, “to one day study international relations at a university in the future is my dream”.
Just three years on, Nhial is not only fulfilling his aspirations by majoring in Global Studies and Journalism at Huron University in Canada, but also making an impact on a global level.
“If you put me at that table,” Nhial had said in 2020, “I can engage with different people, from different places and on a global level. I would love to use my voice and expertise to draw more attention to young displaced people like myself.”
Since graduating from Amala’s Peacebuilding course in Kakuma in 2018, Nhial has done just that. In late September 2023, Nhial won the Chegg.org Global Student Prize, selected from almost 4000 applicants in 122 countries. Nhial accepted the $100,000 prize at the UN General Assembly in New York City, awarded to him for his work empowering over 20,000 refugees in Kenya through education, mentorship and advocacy. Nhial is a skilled public speaker, having been invited to the Transforming Education Summit at the United Nations, the UK House of Lords and the Canadian parliament to name but a few. He has participated in a roundtable discussion with Prince Harry and the Duchess of Sussex and has been awarded multiple other accolades including the Queen’s Platinum Jubilee Award and the World Vision Hero for Children Courage Award 2023.
Along with two other Amala alumni, Nhial is also a member of the Refugee Education Council, a group of 15 refugee and host community youth from around the world convened by the Canadian government. As members of the Council, Nhial and others bring their experiences and knowledge related to global refugee education to inform Canada's international “Together for Learning” campaign.
Nhial plans to dedicate half of the Global Student Prize money to construct a Leadership and Innovation Centre in the Kakuma Refugee Camp where he spent his teenage years. As well as an innovation hub, the money will build a library, aligning with Nhial’s unwavering commitment to refugee education.
When we introduced Nhial as a learner on Amala’s Peacebuilding in your Community Changemaker course in 2018, he reflected on his biggest takeaway from the course: it had affirmed to him that he had the agency to make change in his community.
“I would love to use my voice and expertise to draw more attention to young displaced people like myself”, Nhial told us in 2020. Amala takes pride in being part of Nhial’s educational journey which has led him to where he is now, doing exactly what he said he dreamed of doing by advocating for refugees globally.
Nhial is particularly driven by the empowerment of women and girls, and established an initiative in 2021 called "SheLeads Kakuma," a six month leadership programme in Kakuma Camp which has already impacted over 1,500 young women. Some SheLeadsKakuma graduates have gone on to launch their own ventures, demonstrating their power to enable others to make a difference.
Image credit: Chegg.org
As an Amala alumnus, Nhial’s work echoes our shared mission: to use the power of education to transform the lives of refugees, their communities, and the world.
“I had just graduated from high school when I joined the Peacebuilding course and it was so transformative and engaging. The Amala course really helped me get my point across. Being able to communicate is important in terms of advocacy and peacebuilding as most cases of violence are caused by misunderstandings and miscommunication. When people can communicate with each other, we’ll have a more peaceful world.”
The Guardian featured Nhial’s win and his incredible story. Nhial being awarded the prize was also featured on Canadian media: the London Free Press and CBC, and across African media: Modern Ghana, PM News Nigeria, the African Mirror and the Sudan Tribune.
Nhial has written about the importance of education for crisis-affected young people and advocating for refugees for the UN, CNN and Al Jazeera.
Follow Nhial on Linkedin here.