OUR ROOTS

From Sierra Leone

To the US

and Back

FAMILY

  • Mother: Mamie Ndawah-Massaquoi

    Hope… is the companion of power, and the mother of success; for who so hopes has within him the gift of miracles.” – Samuel Smiles

    Our mother taught us this. She raised 8 kids on her own, while working 2 jobs and going to school part time, and even in poverty, she never hesitated to open her doors and help others. Having her as a mother taught us about perseverance, God and what limitless hope and possibilities are all about.

    She came to the states to improve the lives of her parents and is now our inspiration to improve the lives of a country.

  • Sisters: Wonoh and Mariama Massaquoi

    Do what you do with love, and success is a natural symptom.” – James Altucher

    Wonoh and Mariama started on this journey to help Sierra Leone from their passion to empower others and transform lives. They are co-founders of Tenki and are part of the board.

    Wonoh is a film producer who received her masters at the University of Southern California (USC), a certified teacher and an expert in community development.

    Mariama is double board-certified in family medicine and family medicine obstetrics with an MPH from Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health. She currently works full-time for the US Army.

    See their dream in its infancy, now coming to fruition.

  • Sisters: Ayesha Bright

    “There is no greater agony than bearing an untold story inside you.” - Maya Angelou

    Ayesha is the youngest in the family and has been a crucial contributor to Tenki’s birth and growth throughout this process. She is a writer and director and received a B.A. in Film and Television production from USC.

    She is the lead for Books on Wheels and content creation and development of Tenki’s classes.

EXTENDED FAMILY - BOARD MEMBERS

  • Maria Valdez, MD

    Maria is a board-certified family physician who is fellowship trained in emergency and point-of-care ultrasound. She is an Army veteran and has been working with Mariama since residency in 2014.

    Maria’s family is originally from Mexico and having grown up in Compton Los Angeles, CA, she is passionate about giving back to underserved, low-resource communities.

  • Priyanka Carr, PhD

    Priyanka is the general manager of market research at Momentive (SurveyMonkey) with a PhD in Social Psychological Science and Neuroscience from Stanford University.

    She is passionate about unlocking growth and empowering organizations to deliver against that growth. She and Mariama have been friends for almost 20yrs.

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