Emmanuel Adebayo
Founder, MENDAYA | Nigeria
Some changemakers are shaped by privilege.
Others are shaped by pain, and choose to transform it into purpose.
Emmanuel Adebayo belongs to the latter.
From a childhood marked by loss, instability, and silence, Emmanuel has built something rare and necessary: a safe, creative, and healing space for vulnerable boys who are too often forgotten by systems meant to protect them. Through MENDAYA, he is redefining masculinity, restoring dignity, and giving boys permission to feel, express, and imagine better futures.
When asked to share his story, Emmanuel said:
“When I was growing up, I had a lot of fun playing with my friends, moulding, jumping on trees and just being a child. All these ended when I was five years old, after we got the news of my father’s death. I didn’t know much about him, but the only thing I still remember about my father is his dead body in the back of a car. what followed were many years of struggle and everyday survival.
It left me exposed and vulnerable, growing up with a constant feeling of rejection, enduring abuse, violence and neglect. including being burned on the chest with hot coal for bed-wetting at 12, walking on stones on my knees for being hungry, and later being raped at 14, and forced to masturbate in front of everyone to proof my manhood when no one believed me. I ran away from home, and an abandoned car became my new home for almost a year. I never get the space to talk about my fears or how I feel. I grew up with deep inferiority and a sense of worthlessness, not believing in myself.
Everything changed when I found a tailor shop. Fashion became my safe space, a place to learn, dream, and create. Turning fabric into designs gave me hope. With every stitch, I felt my confidence return.
As a kanthari fellow in 2025, I shared my story publicly for the first time in 26 years. For the first time, I felt no shame.
To give boys what I never had, I founded MENDAYA, a creative hub where vulnerable boys can play, learn, express emotions, build skills, and imagine better futures. Today, I use fashion and creativity to help boys grow into men who build, protect, and lead with empathy.”
Why Emmanuel Is a Changemaker
Emmanuel is not only telling his story, he is changing outcomes for others.
Through MENDAYA, he is:
- Creating safe and empowering spaces for vulnerable boys
- Helping boys express emotions without fear or shame
- Challenging harmful stereotypes around masculinity and gender
- Using fashion and creativity as tools for healing, confidence, and life skills
- Equipping boys to make safer, healthier life choices
His work addresses a deeply overlooked reality: boys who are expected to be “strong” while carrying unspoken pain.
About MENDAYA
MENDAYA is a nonprofit organisation creating safe and empowering spaces where vulnerable boys affected by abuse, violence, and neglect are supported to:
- Express their feelings
- Build confidence and self-worth
- Rewrite harmful narratives around masculinity
- Develop practical skills for safer life choices
- Imagine and build better futures
Connect with MENDAYA
- LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/mendaya/
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/mendaya.org/
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/officialmendaya/
🌟 Our Reflection
At GrantsDatabase, we believe changemakers are not defined by where they begin, but by what they choose to build for others.
By transforming silence into voice, pain into purpose, and creativity into healing, Emmanuel Adebayo embodies the spirit of the Young Changemaker of the Month.
Please join us in celebrating Emmanuel and supporting the life-changing work of MENDAYA.
1 Comment
Ndi’umwe mubahinzi babigize umwuga mpinga ibigori ndetse n’ibishyimbo ibigori iyo maze kubisarura nkora ibisigazwa by’amatungo