This is Kelvin Doe. A 15 year old prodigy from Sierra Leon. He’s self taught and has remarkably built his own radio station equipment with spare parts he finds in the trash. More than that he run the radio station and has become known for bringing news and public opinion to the air waves.

Kelvin is the youngest person ever to be invited to the “Visiting Practitioner’s Program” at MIT.

The Republic of Sierra Leon is a country in the western part of Africa. It’s rich in natural resources which include Diamonds, Titanium and Gold among others. It has the third largest natural harbor in the world and has a liberal health care system.

It’s also known for it’s religious tolerance with Christians and Muslims living peacefully side by side. Despite all of this an estimated 70% of the people live in poverty, and two thirds of all adults are illiterate. The reason for this can be pointed to the devastating civil war that took place between 1991 and 2002. An estimated 50,000 people were killed, the countries infrastructure was destroyed, and over two million people have been displaced.

The good news is that the country is starting pick itself up. The current government while not perfect seems to be making strides to improve things. They just had their second successful Presidential election in November.

(Sierra Leone: Wikipedia, 12/30/2012)
(Observers Praise Sierra Leone Elections: VOA News, 19, 2012 )