By Olusegun Ogundeji
Popular American actor, who discovered his genetic link to the Mende people of Sierra Leone , will earn his Sierra Leonean citizenship this month.
Isaiah Washington 's DNA test suggested his maternal ancestry traces back to Sierra Leone and that he is probably of Mende descent. 
Washington was born in Houston, Texas on the 3 rd of August 1963 (age 44) before h is parents relocated to Missouri City, Texas around 1980.
After the discovery of his direct genetic link to the Mende people of Sierra Leone , Washington has become known for his philanthropy in Africa .
In 2005, he founded the Gondobay Manga Foundation which advocates cooperative planning to achieve positive, timely improvements in the lives of the people of Sierra Leone .
During a visit to Sierra Leone in May 2006, Washington was named Chief Gondobay Manga by the Mende people. He later decided to use the name for his non-profit organization.
In November 2007, Washington and the Gondobay Manga Foundation opened the first school, Chief Foday Golia Memorial School , in the Njala Kendema village for 150 students in grades K-5.
The new school replaced a former condemned building that has been described as not suited for occupants.
The school was named in honour of the former leader of the Njala Kendema village. In addition to building the school, Washington and the Gondobay Manga Foundation also donated uniforms and school supplies for each student.
The Foundation is presently hoping to work on other projects to address the medical and educational needs of Sierra Leoneans, but factors, including the recent economic downturn and, Washington 's continued difficulties due to the Grey's Anatomy and Golden Globes (TV series) incidents, have made raising money for the Foundation very difficult.
Big donations have been non-existent and other than small donations given by ordinary citizens, Washington himself has for the most part invested his personal money into the Foundation.
Not only is Washington committed to improving the lives of Sierra Leoneans, he is also committed to preserving its cultural heritage, Bunce Island , which lies near Sierra Leone 's capital city of Freetown . This was the largest British slave castle on the Rice Coast of West Africa.
Washington is active in the Bunce Island Coalition- which includes historians and friends of Sierra Leone in the US and Great Britain- committed to preserving the fortress.
In March 2007, Washington donated $25,000 to the computer reconstruction project of Bunce Island .
Washington is an avid supporter of people from all walks of life, exhibited in his work with the White House Summit on Malaria to fight the war against malaria in Sierra Leone as well as other countries in Africa .
According to Washington in an interview, his father, after whom he was named, was murdered when Washington was 13 years old.
Washington is married to Jenisa Marie Washington and they have three children.
