One Child. One Dream.
A Future Transformed.

About Us

My name is Isatu Staples (Neebangura), and I am the founder and CEO of  MG Memorial Academy Foundation—a non-profit school that will serve the community of Kamakwie and the surrounding villages in the Sella Limba Chiefdom, Karene District, Sierra Leone.

This school is more than just a building—it is a dream born from conversations with my late father, whose memory this foundation honors. From an early age, my father and I would speak about education and the doors it opened for him. His story deeply shaped my path and the vision for this academy.

My father was a man of humility, wisdom, and resilience. Raised in a large family, his father had over 50 children with more than 10 wives. He was the only child privileged to receive a formal education. This opportunity came not from his father but from a close family friend, Cheernor Casemu, who saw his potential and took him under his wing. Cheernor treated him like his own son, sending him to school and supporting his growth. My father went on to become a Forest Ranger, a role that reflected his love for nature and his dedication to serving others.

Despite his accomplishments, my father faced challenges within our own family. As members of the Sabuya ruling house, our family once had a significant voice in the leadership of our community. However, when the time came to choose a new chief, and despite my father presenting himself as a candidate, a controversial ballot-based process was forced upon the ruling families. The Sabuya house lost the chieftaincy—a position we have not regained in over 80 years.

Yet, even after that setback, my father never gave up on the idea of education. He believed that if his siblings had been given the same chance he had, their lives—and our community—would have been different. He dreamed that every child, no matter their background or family status, should have access to education.