OUR STORY

I am because she was.

Black and white photo of a woman in traditional African attire, holding and reading a book, with a pink background on the right side of the image.

“A legacy of education, strength, and perseverance”

The Mas Houdou Future Leaders Fund is named in honor of Mas Houdou Barry, a woman who believed deeply in the power of education. Born in colonial Guinea in 1945, she pursued an education at a time when many girls did not have the same opportunity and carried that belief forward, instilling it in her daughter and the generations that followed.

Our name is both a way of keeping her legacy alive and honoring the women who created the paths we now walk. Mas Houdou's legacy reminds us that when one is given the opportunity to learn, the impact can reach far beyond their own lifetime.

A woman speaking at a conference or event, holding a microphone and notes, with a purple backdrop featuring logos and flags of Africa in the background.

Founder

A personal commitment

I founded the Mas Houdou Future Leaders Fund from a belief shaped by my own life:

Education changes what is possible.

I grew up between Guinea and the United States, raised by generations of women who treated education as a pathway to opportunity. My grandmother, Mas Houdou Barry, made academic excellence an expectation, and my mother carried that same conviction forward. Their sacrifices opened doors for me that ultimately led to scholarships, a Fulbright fellowship in Guinea, and opportunities to work in global development.

I carried the dream of creating an organization that could help extend those same opportunities to children and young people in Guinea, especially girls. Returning to Guinea deepened that commitment and reinforced something I have experienced firsthand: talent and potential are everywhere, but access to opportunity is not.

The Mas Houdou Future Leaders Fund is my way of honoring the women who invested in me by investing in the next generation. My hope is that more children have the resources, support, and educational opportunities they need to learn, dream, and determine what comes next.