Mbadika
“Talent is Universal. Opportunity is Not.”
-Nick Kristof, New York Times

MISSION

Since 2010, Mbadika has fostered the next generation of innovators and entrepreneurs by providing resources and educational workshops to youth around the world, regardless of where they call home.

MISSION

Since 2010, Mbadika has fostered the next generation of innovators and entrepreneurs by providing resources and educational workshops to youth around the world, regardless of where they call home.

CHALLENGE

Since 1990, employment in Science, Technology, Engineering, and Math (STEM) fields has increased by 79%. Though the STEM workforce has become more diverse during this period, there is still a lot of work to do. Half of STEM workers are women, but they’re underrepresented in computer and engineering jobs. A 2018 report from the Pew Research Center found that only 9% and 7% of all STEM workers are Black and Hispanic, respectively. 
Problems are solved by teams of scientists and engineers, with each member bringing talent and skills, but also their lived experience. A team lacking a diversity of perspectives won’t be able to address the problem from all angles and for all people.
Diversity in STEM is necessary to solve global problems and to make sure the solutions work for everyone. 

CHALLENGE

Since 1990, employment in Science, Technology, Engineering, and Math (STEM) fields has increased by 79%. Though the STEM workforce has become more diverse during this period, there is still a lot of work to do. Half of STEM workers are women, but they’re underrepresented in computer and engineering jobs. A 2018 report from the Pew Research Center found that only 9% and 7% of all STEM workers are Black and Hispanic, respectively. 

Problems are solved by teams of scientists and engineers, with each member bringing talent and skills, but also their lived experience. A team lacking a diversity of perspectives won’t be able to address the problem from all angles and for all people.

Diversity in STEM is necessary to solve global problems and to make sure the solutions work for everyone. 

WHO WE ARE

Founded in 2010 by our Executive Director, Netia McCray, while she was an undergraduate at MIT, Mbadika (pronounced bah-GEE-ka) has been working to close that gap in the United States, Latin America, and Sub-Saharan Africa.
The name comes from the Kimbundu word for “idea” and our goal is to give young students the resources to transform their ideas into a reality.
For over 10 years, Mbadika has partnered with a wide range of organizations and entities including the U.S. State Department, NASA, MIT, Autodesk, Microsoft, and the Ministry of Supply in order to fulfill its motto; Ideas and Those Who Create Them.
A young African American woman, in a darkened room being illuminated by a projector screen. She is presenting in front of a projector screen displaying a yellow, mini breadboard. She is pointing to a column of the breadboard while facing the right side of the photo.

WHO WE ARE

Founded in 2010 by our Executive Director, Netia McCray, while she was an undergraduate at MIT, Mbadika (pronounced bah-GEE-ka) has been working to close that gap in the United States, Latin America, and Sub-Saharan Africa.

The name comes from the Kimbundu word for “idea” and our goal is to give young students the resources to transform their ideas into a reality.

For over 10 years, Mbadika has partnered with a wide range of organizations and entities including the U.S. State Department, NASA, MIT, Autodesk, Microsoft, and the Ministry of Supply in order to fulfill its motto; Ideas and Those Who Create Them.

A tall, black female with an afro featuring tapered sides and blonde tips is wearing a blue NASA space flight suit is smiling at the camera behind a wooden work station. On the wooden workstation are various plants (to the right) alongside various plants and versions of the Interstellar TESSERAE Planter (to the left). The space in front of the female is blank. The background of the image is the set of the mLab TV show, which includes (2) tall, white pegboards populated with a wide variety of tools and the Mbadika logo.

IDEAS AND THOSE WHO CREATE THEM

By harnessing STEM, we provide opportunities for ideas and those who create them to impact our world. As inventors at heart, we believe in the power of STEM education to unlock the next generation of innovators.

As a team, we believe in getting our hands dirty in order to ensure access to STEM education.

How? Through our own laboratory where we bring ideas to reality; mLAB, which stands for Mbadika Laboratory.

mLAB is where the development and implementation of our ground-breaking hands-on workshops, DIY projects, as well as educational products that foster a #BuildMakeLearn mentality.

Whether it’s dressing as a NASA astronaut in order to explore the construction of interstellar travel pods or as a beloved Disney villain to explore digital fabrication and our favorite fall treats, we believe in doing the impossible to make ideas possible.

Our investment in the children and youth to unlock their potential to develop innovative solutions to the challenges we face today is in order to ensure a brighter tomorrow.

A group of diverse students, from left to right, surround a wooden desk surface being managed by a young, white female in order to explore a piece of fabric. In front of the group is a Mac desktop computer showcasing an enlarged version of the image relayed from the microscopic in the hands of the young female employee.