By Simity Admire Nenneh Kamara
In a bid to address the gap in education, a nonprofit charitable organization in California and the USA called SoCaL UBSSL has again provided its annual educational scholarships worth over ten thousand US dollars to 27 secondary and university students who excel academically but need financial support.
According to the liaison officer for Freetown, Ms. Hawanatu F.S. Bockarie, this initiative demonstrates their commitment to enhancing the quality of education for Sierra Leonean students whose parents cannot afford the financial burden of providing school materials, university fees, and other basic necessities.
She encouraged the 2025 deserving awardees to stay focused on their studies to ensure they don’t lose the scholarship. Each pupil at the secondary school level received 100 US dollars, while students from various universities received 400 US dollars each.
The chairperson of the ceremony, Mrs. Alphinia Thompson, urged the beneficiaries to stay committed, pass their exams, and make the most of this golden opportunity.
She also admonished parents and guardians to monitor their children and ensure the funds are used for the right purposes.
Representing the president of Southern California United Brothers and Sisters of Sierra Leone, Possible Kargbo, said that the importance of supporting financially challenged pupils and students in the pursuit of quality education in Sierra Leone began over a decade ago. He added that this year’s scholarship selection process was very difficult due to the overwhelming number of qualified applicants with inspiring stories. The selected applicants were chosen based on their remarkable resilience, exceptional performance, hard work, dedication, and exemplary academic achievements.
2025 recipient from Standards International School, Muskuda Augusta Fornah, expressed gratitude on behalf of the other recipients, acknowledging that this scholarship, in the form of financial aid, has brought great joy to them and alleviated the burden on their parents who have struggled to meet their educational needs. She promised to work hard to maintain the scholarship and assured total commitment.
The ceremony was held over the weekend at the Chapel of Peace Church, Matindi, Waterloo.
