Meet Youth Tackling Challenges in South African Education

Winners of USAID and PepsiCo Foundation’s “Amplifying HBCUs and Black Voices in Development” case competition have solutions

How can young people in the United States help advance education on the other side of the world?

Earlier this year, students, and alumni used their skills to solve this question as part of  USAID’s  “Amplifying HBCUs and Black Voices in Development” Conference and Career Expo at Tennessee State University in Nashville, the fourth in a series of USAID conferences hosted for Minority Serving Institutions (MSIs) and their partners. This initiative aims to advance equity and diversity in international development, raise awareness of USAID’s foreign assistance programs, and strengthen the bonds among MSIs.

USAID and the PepsiCo Foundation partnered to present Case Competitions focusing on a real problem that governments, the private sector, and local actors in South Africa have been confronting, particularly after COVID: equity in education access. 

Student teams were asked to come up with innovations, tools, approaches, and business models that support improved access to education for students with disabilities in that country. Competitors presented a 10-minute pitch with a chance to win up to $15,000. 

Five finalist teams – from Howard University, Jackson State University, a combined team from Johns Hopkins and Harvard universities, Tennessee State University, and Prairie View A&M University – were ultimately selected to present their ideas to a panel of VIP judges:

The winning team were Nagea Kirkley, Olivia McDonald, and Danielle Andrews from Howard University with their project Mobilizing Learning in South Africa. Their project focused on reaching students during times of emergencies, such as power outages, through dispatching mobile school units with teachers and staff.

Nagea, a recent Howard University graduate in International Affairs and Community Development, said: “USAID provided the opportunity to experience what it is like to consult a government entity, which is a really great learning experience for someone like me who wants to work in international development. The sharing and brainstorming of ideas at the conference was an enlightening experience and shows the different avenues that institutions can take to solve one problem. I appreciate USAID for extending the opportunity to the students.”

Olivia also shared the importance of the project to her personally and professionally: "As the sister of a disabled person, I was aware early on of how educational inequity affected my brother's schooling and access to accessible learning. With that, I was excited to come together with my teammates to produce and present an innovative model that can bridge the socioeconomic challenges facing South Africa's most vulnerable students, especially in the wake of the country's technology crisis and the COVID-19 pandemic. I am especially grateful to USAID for providing us active mentorship through the brainstorming process, connecting me to like-minded peers across the country, and giving me real-life experience on what it takes to tackle global development issues."

The second and third place winners, the Jackson State and Johns Hopkins/Harvard teams respectively, took some time to share their thoughts on the competition.

Mahlangu Nzunda is an undergraduate software engineering major from Jackson State University. He is originally from Zambia, and is set to graduate in 2025. Together with Khaylah Rose, he designed an app called Imfundo, meaning “education for all” in Zulu. This app would help disabled persons and stakeholders that support them. 

“The people who support young disabled people are parents and teachers, so we designed an app that you can access on your phone that would have resources on brain development and discussion forums to connect them to each other,” Mahlangu explained.

Khaylah is a computer engineering major also from Jackson State University. With a background in American Sign Language, Khaylah was already aware of the lack of resources and opportunities for people with disabilities, and reading the statistics for South Africa inspired her to apply herself to the case competition. 

“The disability advocacy aspect of this means a lot to me,” she says, “because they are such an invisible minority group, and we need to spotlight their voices and support them.”

Both Mahlangu and Khaylah were driven by their interests in technology and humanitarian aid, which drew them to the case competition. 

“The majority of the world is still left behind with this technology gap, so I want to bridge that gap with solutions more centered around how societies are structured and be able to drive those advancements through work through an organization like USAID,” Mahlangu says.

Po-Jen Lin graduated from National Taiwan University in 2019 with a degree in medicine. Currently, he is a masters student studying public health at Johns Hopkins University, and will graduate this year. 

Together with teammate Chih-Fu Wei, Po-Jen developed ManEdla, an education truck developed through human-centered design that would address and increase opportunities for South African learners with disabilities. The truck is accessible by phone and would provide basic needs support such as house supplies and stationary for school when they request it. The name ManEdla is derived from the legacy of former South African President Nelson Mandela, who embodied perseverance, courage, and a commitment to justice and equality. 

“USAID offers an excellent platform for students to showcase their creativity and contribute to global development. By engaging with USAID,” Po-Jen says, “we have the opportunity to connect with experts from diverse regions and explore potential career paths in this field.”

The passion, talent, and determination of these next generation leaders will continue to be integral to USAID’s mission to advance a free, peaceful, and prosperous world. Congratulations to all the finalists and the winning teams!

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ABOUT THE AUTHOR: Alison Xiao, 22, is a communications intern with USAID in the Office of Diversity, Equity, Inclusion and Accessibility. She will graduate with a Bachelor’s Degree in Global Studies at the University of California, Los Angeles