Rene “Edou” E. Mendis is a project associate at Social Change Factory (SCF). He has a degree in political science and international relations, and has completed several leadership, self-discovery and public speaking courses. Prior to joining SCF, René interned at the communication and marketing firm Gaynako, and at Public Affairs Africa, a strategic innovation firm where he developed skills in communication and project management and monitoring. Rene is passionate about the education of young people, debate, and communication, and was the winner of a 2018 eloquence competition, organised by the Faculty of Legal and Political Sciences of the Cheikh Anta Diop University in Dakar. In 2019, Rene founded Senvie Association, a humanitarian association whose main project in 2019 was the renovation of an elementary school in Makhana, a village in the Saint-Louis region of Senegal.