The Man Innovating Against Domestic Violence
From losing interest in education due to the conventional teaching style to growing a passion for reading that led to a journey of exploration and sweet surprises, Salifu Mutaru from Ghana has come a long way. In our fight to end domestic violence, he is leading in the technology front, improving Chatbot Sophia and bringing in new innovations. He is a man of vision and compassion, rooting for a world of equal freedom for all.
On his first year anniversary with Spring ACT, Salifu sat with us and shared a close peek at his life’s journey:
Hi Salifu, congratulations on your first work anniversary with us! As we celebrate your first year, we would like to know more about you as a person. Let’s start with your childhood – how were your first few years in life?
I was born in Accra and brought up in Nima, in the Zongo community in Ghana. My grandmother was a huge role model in my childhood; I picked up on my values and life lessons from her.
My childhood was somewhat difficult because of our family’s financial condition. I could not afford going to kindergarten and had to start schooling straight from primary school. Which is why I actually failed my exam in the first year. I knew things in my mind that were taught to me at home, but because I could not learn how to write I could not answer. I was kind of a fish in a pond without water.
My life took a turn when the following year two new boys, Rashad and Aziz, joined my class. I somehow instantly became very close to them. I don’t know what exactly changed but I think spending time with them helped me to be less worried and more confident about myself. I started to pick up on learning fast and since then I never did badly in any exam.
I was a curious student as a child and asked a lot of questions. This bothered my teachers who only preferred teaching in a conventional way. It demotivated me and I soon lost interest to pursue my bachelors degree in Ghana. My family’s financial crunch also added to this decision of mine.
Then what happened? How did you come into Engineering?
I grew a strong passion for reading when I graduated from high school. My best friend, Samuel, and I used to download books online.
“We read all types of books and suddenly the world became bigger than I thought it was.”
We started a reading club and even tried to set up libraries around town. Samuel and I started blogging about reading on our personal blog site: Samsal Section. We started to look for help to expand our efforts when we came across an MIT ambassador who introduced us to an NGO, named WorldReader.
I started working with them as a Mentor, visiting rural schools where WorldReader was running educational projects for underprivileged children. During one of these visits, I met students from ASHESI University. When they heard about my story they told me “The university is looking for students like you. It’s based on the US education system. You should check them out.” I got curious and started exploring. When I applied I got a full scholarship and it was supported by the MasterCard Foundation.
I started studying Computer Science and I enjoyed learning about programming and solving problems. On weekends I would do freelance work, building softwares for others. My dad passed away during this time and so I started supporting my mother in managing the household expenses.
WorldReader was also expanding their operations around the same time and was forming their in-house tech team. They hired me for the team and I contributed majorly for building the backend of their system. Today WorldReader is available in many places and I feel proud to be a part of their incredible journey.
How did your journey with Spring ACT start?
I came across Spring ACT’s opening through LinkedIn and the vision of the company inspired me. I grew up hearing about the horrific experiences of domestic violence that some of my friends and their family members had gone through. I had a friend whose neighbour was sexually assaulted by her father, another friend whose sister was beaten to bleed and then locked in a room by her husband. She had to flee through the window to seek support. So when I got to know about Chatbot Sophia, I thought to myself she can be of great help to the people suffering from domestic violence. I wish people in Ghana had this support! I knew instantly that I would love to be a part of bringing this solution to the world.
What’s your current role at Spring ACT?
I’m working as the Technology Lead. With my team, I am trying to improve the features of Chatbot Sophia, integrating the chatbot with generative AI to provide our users a safe and reliable experience. We are also building a new platform called ImpACT platform, which I believe will be a game-changer for our vision to make Chatbot Sophia locally available and scalable for everyone.
Right now there’s a lot of noise regarding the biases of AI. How are we ensuring that Chatbot Sophia is bias-free?
We are prioritising to ensure Chatbot Sophia is very well trained. We guide the flow of how the chatbot operates and it therefore only provides information which has gone through due-diligence. We have very well-researched knowledge articles built in the system that guide the chatbot to assess cues to identify the specific needs of our users and provide accurate, bite-sized information for easy understanding. We are confident that we are offering a bias-free service.
When you are not working, how do you like to spend your time to recharge?
I love farming. I grow chilies, tomatoes, cucumbers, cabbages in my backyard. It’s therapeutic for me.
Tell us about your favourite dish.
My favourite dish is fufu. It’s a staple food in Ghana that we eat with soup or curries. We eat a lot of spice here, so I enjoy having fufu with spicy soup .
What do you most like about Spring ACT?
I think everyone is very friendly and respectful towards each other here. In the tech team for example, there is no hierarchy. I say
“The best idea is the leader.”
So we go to meetings with open minds and whoever suggests the best idea we go ahead with that. There’s no ego clash, we let the best idea enjoy having the ego.
What’s your vision for Spring ACT?
I see Spring ACT to become the go-to platform for everyone suffering from domestic violence. Other organisations can also tap into the ImpACT platform and learn. I believe this has the potential to make us self-sustainable, empowering us to do our best to stand-by the people who need our support.
What’s your favourite quote?
“Sorry” plus “thank you” equals POWER.
It’s about being grateful and tolerant in life.
What do you want to be remembered for?
I want to help every Ghanaian realise that there’s more to them than where they are now. Instead of waiting for the right opportunity, I think they need to create the opportunity for themselves by exploring their strengths. They need to understand that the journey is more important than the destination.
What’s your vision of an injustice-free world?
An injustice-free world to me is a world where people live with freedom and equal power. The rich and those in power should not be the only ones entitled to freedom. Freedom – the backbone of democracy – should be equally exercised for all.
Interviewed By Ahona Azad Choyti for Spring ACT
