Idrissa Bangura is a child educator, teacher, singer, and an advocate for underserved and deprived kids in Sierra Leone. Most recently, he is celebrated for having a keen interest in education despite numerous challenges. Bangura was born with a learning disorder and that caused him to mainly interact with kids who might face the same ordeal.
Idrissa Bangura popularly recognized as Father of Children was born and raised in Freetown, the capital of Sierra Leone. He traces his ancestral root to Kambia District, Sella Kafta Chiefdom.
Bangura once had a condition known as Dyslexia. It is a condition that affects the ease with which a person reads, writes and spells. At some point, the condition interfered with his schooling progress. “Typically recognized as a specific learning disorder in children. I suffered from this learning disorder for a year which was the main reason I repeated twice in class one,” Idrissa Bangura told The African Dream.
For many young people in Africa, the classroom is not a place they usually want to get themselves associated with. Nevertheless, Idrissa is committed to teaching and assisting children. In addition, his previous dyslexia condition prompted this action. “I came into the classroom simply to identify and assist children who go through learning disability every year which makes it difficult for children to actualize their potentials and have the fear to stand out among their peers.” Idrissa continued, “Learning disability in children is a continuous battle as one out of 5 children in a classroom must suffer from either dyslexia, dysgraphia or Dyscalculia and this is sometimes a genetic problem.”
Tutoring young children has never been an easy task for the education enthusiast. To blend in the field, you are expected to adopt childlike behaviors to fit into the comfort zone of the kids. “It feels good to teach them although we are little in this field as male educators,” Idrissa explained while pointing out an interesting challenge he faces.
In Sierra Leone, people have trust issues concerning young men taking care of children for fear of abuses. So with such an interest, Idrissa struggled to gain a teaching opportunity. Some schools even rejected him. “I faced these challenges during my first years in the teaching field and during my teaching practice just after university.”
Idrissa Bangura is the founder of the Kids Happiness Foundation Headstart Educational program. It is a registered and nonprofit making organization that has been working over 8 years to ensure that all children have access to preschool and nursery education. The organization serves over 4 neighboring communities and also caters for orphan children.
Speaking of where he sees himself in the coming years, Idrissa said, “I envision myself to be among the people that the world would put hands at for creating a positive impact in the society far and wide for children :rich and poor ,black and white.”
You can contact Idrissa’s organization at 86J Sorie Town, Back of Winners Chapel, Freetown. You can also reach out to him on +23277011030/072326781 and visit the children today.
