Mendy Kanu: Pioneering Educationalist in Sierra Leone

Mendy Kanu was born on July 15th, 1991 in the Makathay village in the Bombali District of northern Sierra Leone.

MendyMY HERO

Raised by his mother, N’Yadiba Kalokoh, and surrounded by his brother and three sisters, Mendy's early years were marked by the simplicity and challenges of rural life. His father, working in the capital city of Freetown, was absent for much of Mendy's childhood.

Mendy's father brought him to Freetown for a better education. He attended Makathay Primary School and later Ephrahim J. Robinson Municipal School. His secondary education continued at St. Edwards Secondary School. He also pursued IT training at the ICT Training Complex.

Mendy's love for music started early and led him to the iEARN Positive Music project in 2007. Alongside this, he volunteered in computing education for iEARN Sierra Leone.

Once he finished school, Mendy recognized the impact of Sierra Leone's war on education. In 2009, he founded the Empowering Children School to provide free education to those who couldn't afford it, aiming to break the cycle of illiteracy and poverty.

In 2011 Mendy left the Empowering Children School to study IT and then in 2013 started a new school: The Children Foundations of Technology School - Sierra Leone

He has since taken part in a variety of different projects in the iEARN forum and has been honored with an award from the iEARN Learning Circle.

The school started with just a few students, catering to former child soldiers and disadvantaged children. Despite challenges like hunger and lack of resources, today the school has made a significant difference. Mendy's dedication to education has created a pathway for these children to a better future. The school's mission is to tackle the high levels of illiteracy in Sierra Leone by offering free education to those in need.

Students at Childrens' Technology Center Sierra LeoneMendy Kanu

Said Mendy: “Education is valued in Sierra Leone, but the children face many overwhelming obstacles to a good education. In Sierra Leone, the majority of children who are attending government schools come to school hungry and learning with very few materials provided for them. Although our school presently faces many challenges, we have been able to play a vital role in the improvement of children's lives. Our children embrace this new digital age. We would like to share our world and learn about the world outside Congo Town, Sierra Leone.”

The Children Foundations of Technology School- Sierra Leone

The goal of The Children Foundations of Technology School- Sierra Leone is to foster relationships amongst children and youth within and outside Sierra Leone by enhancing the full participation of children in the development process in Sierra Leone and to alleviate suffering amongst children and youth generally in difficult circumstances. Their mission is to help children and youth by minimizing the high level of illiteracy through IT and Digital Media Skills.​

Aims and Objectives

To promote and develop understanding amongst children and youth by the elimination of all forms of conflict and work towards promoting peace and stability.

To render help to every child in difficult circumstances i.e. giving relief

To facilitate and set up a skills training centre for children and youth to be empowered

To encourage and strengthen children socially and economically, so that when they grow up they can be self-reliant.

To help them showcase their talent in our every-year Talent Exposure

 To promote sport, community recreation, and play facilities.

Said Mendy, “We believe that one day all children in this nation will have the opportunity to achieve an excellent education.”

Mendy and MY HEROMendy Kanu

In this photo, Mendy is educating his students about MY HERO, explaining how he has shared a variety of documentaries, music, and stories on the MY HERO website over the years. He explains that IEARN and MY HERO are excellent mediums in order to interact and share ideas and resources with different classrooms and educators around the globe and encourages students to post their work too.

Said Mendy, “MY HERO has been so supportive to us and it is a privilege for us to share our wonderful songs, stories, and community documentaries for our peers to know what life is like in this part of the world.”

MY HERO was very inspired by Mendy’s recent Facebook post:

“After we die, we will be remembered for a few more years, then we are just a portrait on someone's bookshelf, and a few years later our history, photos, and deeds disappear in history's oblivion. We won't even be memories.

If we paused one day to analyze these questions, perhaps we would understand how ignorant and weak the dream to achieve it all was.

If we could only think about this, surely our approaches, our thoughts would change, we would be different people.

Always having more, no time for what's really valuable in this life. I'd change all this to live and enjoy the walks I've never taken, these hugs I didn't give, these kisses for our children and our loved ones, these jokes we didn't have time for. Those would certainly be the most beautiful moments to remember, after all they would fill our lives with joy.

And we waste it day after day with greed, greed and intolerance.”

To find out more, go to the school's website: www.cfotsl.weebly.com or find the Foundation on Facebook: www.facebook.com/cfotsierraleone