Buchanan, Grand Bassa County – The United Bassa Citizens in the Americas – Pennsylvania USA Chapter (UNIBOA-PA) on Wednesday, January 23, 2019, made a payment of L$ 343,676 as school fees for over 45 students benefiting from the organization’s scholarship program in Grand Bassa County.
Report by Elton W. Tiah, Contributor
UNIBOA is a group of Bassa-speaking Liberian citizens residing in the United States of America with an objective of giving back to the county.
Rhoda Reed Fortune, Vice President of UNIBOA-PA, said the organization on September 16, 2018, paid 40% of the tuition fees of students benefiting from the organization’s scholarship program.
She told FrontPage Africa that her visit to Grand Bassa County was to ensure that the balance payment is done.
“I came here on behalf of the organization to pay all the balance tuition fees owed by UNIBOA-PA toward our scholarship program. We believe that helping our citizens back home is important because there are people who cannot afford to send their child or children to school like those that were selected for this year’s scholarship program”, Madam Reed Fortune noted.
She continued: “UNIBOA –PA is actually intended to help our brothers in this country since we are out there hustling. We don’t need pay from anyone for helping them but we feel that our home is our home and we need to help build it for ourselves”.
Madam Fortune stressed that young people are the future leaders and they must be educated.
“When we get words from families, friends and news outlets, we feel sad that most of our young people are not in school due to lack of money. UNIBOA –PA cannot do all but the little we are doing is going to make some mark in our country”, The Vice President asserted.
She mentioned that the US based organization is committed to meeting their objectives.
Amos Boeyou, Coordinator of Grand Bassa Education Foundation, told FrontPage Africa that the US based diaspora Liberian group has also paid tuitions for students in Montserrdo County and is undertaking another project in Rivercess County.
“When we educate our young people, we stand a chance to properly develop our country years to come. We from UNIBOA –PA are going to try our best to provide whatever help we can to educate our young people”, Boeyou said.
“The students were selected based on their needs. We have people living with disabilities part of the scholarship program as well “.
In September of last year, Mr. Boeyou selected several needy students from the W.P Brumskine High School, Seventh Day Adventist High School, Bassa High School and Demonstration School to benefit from UNIBOA-PA Scholarship program.
Three students were chosen from Brumskine High School, five from Seventh Day Adventist High School, 12 students from the Bassa High School, 10 students from the St. John School, five students from the St. Peter catholic School and the rest were selected from Demonstration School as well as other schools.