Quality Early Education for All Children at Akula Academy

Our Story

My name is Caroline Merriman-Johnson. I was born and raised in Mbandaka, a city in the Republic Democratic of Congo where my father worked at the local bank and my mother sold food items in the market to supplement the income, Just like most families in the area, my parents struggled to provide food and opportunity of education to their children. Despite the poverty, I was determined to acquire a strong education, first aspiring to become a professional like the women who worked at my father’s office at the bank. That hope gave me the strength to prevail through my academic struggles. I studied hard throughout the years, however I did not pass the final exam to graduate from high school upon my initial attempt meaning I had to repeat 12th grade. But my father had retired by then and could no longer afford tuition.

I moved to Kinshasa, the capital city, to live with my cousin who had a good job but responsibilities for his own family did not allow him to help me financially but provided me with a roof over my head and food sometimes. Despite the struggles, I did not give up hope, I was determined to go back to school to retake and pass the state exam and graduate high school. Much like what my mother, I started buying and selling food items to sustain myself. I was able to enroll myself for afternoon shift at an area high school and paid for my school fees. Every day I woke up very early in the morning to go to the market to buy goods which I sold on the streets until 12PM and attended school in the afternoon. I used some of the money from the business to help my family back in Mbandaka as my dad could no longer provide for my siblings.

I studied very hard despite the struggles, passed the state exam and secured a high school diploma. During my middle school years in Mbandaka, I became friends with my Peace Corp English teacher Ms. Tori.. Through my friendship with Ms. Tori I became friends with other Peace Corp English teachers in the area. It was through that connection that an opportunity was created for me to travel to America on the student visa. Life in America had its own challenges. I attended college for a couple of semesters but to drop off so that I could help my family back home. As the years passed by, I got married and started a family.

But I did not feel fulfilled, I wanted to give back to the community. I wanted to make a difference in the lives of children in the area of early education by helping children living in poverty like I did as a child to have access to early learning as most preschools in third world nations are private with school fees that struggling parents could not afford. As a part of my plan, I wanted to earn a degree in education. I enrolled at the local community college and later transferred to the University of North Texas. Going back to school as an adult was challenging as I struggled with language barrier, working fulltime and being a mom.

With the support of my husband Ernest, I earned a bachelor degree in Early Childhood Education with a minor in Special education in 2021. To fulfill my dream of giving back to the community, my husband and I, who share a similar interest of giving back to the community, have acquired a land in Freetown, Sierra Leone to build preschool classrooms with scholarship tuition based and sponsorship programs to offer underprivileged children have access to early learning which will shape and give them a foundation to their education.

My husband Ernest and I hope to partner with people who are passionate about making a difference in the lives of children to build similar schools all over the world to help children have access to early education all over the world.

Our Mission

Giving all children access to quality early education is our mission here at Akula Early Learning Academy. Research has proved that early learning experiences impact child development and future academic success. Here at Akula Early Learning Academy, we believe that no child should be deprived of early learning just because their parents cannot afford the school fee.

Through sponsorship programs for those who have qualified ( contingent upon the availability of funds) and affordable tuition, Akula Early Learning Academy provides children with a strong educational foundation in literacy, math, science, and technology in a safe, loving, and fun environment.