Pennsylvania, USA – The United Nimba Citizens Council (UNICCO) has ended its annual convention across America with the launched of an educational scholarship scheme intended to aide thousands of Nimba Community Students in Liberia.
The project is being spearheaded by the organization’s Queen Miss Yah Karweh; and is expected to last for over five years targeting at least 2500 students.
With her election in 2016, Miss Karweh said the scheme targets students in various disciplines and would see students being assisted financially for a three year period only at Nimba County Community College (NCCC).
Established in 2009, the College offers education in various social disciplines including nursing and agriculture.
Nimba County remains Liberia’s second poplar county though its educational quality like many others remains far below expectation; despite huge presence of foreign investment.
Speaking in the city of Philadelphia USA over the weekend, Miss Karweh said the scholarship scheme, a personal initiative seeks to bridge existing financial gab faced by Nimba students who lack financing for college education.
“It my desire to help struggling college students from Nimba,” Miss Karweh said.
“There should be no need for students to struggle for education when we as senior citizens have the ability to help them.”
With no prerequisite to those seeking financial assistance under the package, she said benefiting students would be identified by school authorities in collaboration with UNICCO’s educational committee chairman headed by Mr. Dahn Dennis.
Mr. Dannis is also the former President of the Liberian Association of Pennsylvania USA.
Her assistance to the students is based on her personal experience and observation towards the country’s messy educational sector under the rule of President Ellen Johnson Sirleaf.
Record shows Nimba has over 500,000 citizens; of whom over three percent are college graduate or have formal secondary education.
“God has been so good to me and my family,” she said.
“As such, I have decided to be a blessing to others especially those students from Nimba who lack access to financing.”
She cited existence economic conditions confronting students in Liberia and called on well-meaning Nimba citizens across the United States to join efforts in reaching out to students at the County community college.
“We need to reach out to these struggling college students,” she pleaded with her colleagues at the just ended convention over the weekend.
In a dispatch, the UNICCO queen said helping students would empower underprivileged and at risk youth in Nimba reach their full potential mentally, academically as well as buttress government effort in achieving its educational agenda.
Raising a total of US$1,000 during the ceremony, the Nimba USA queen said she intend rising more funding in the coming months for students.
So far, over five students have benefiting with an increment in the number expected in the coming school year.
The UNICCO queen also mentioned that in additional to her personal scholarship efforts, she’s working alongside others to ensure the construction of a multi-million dollars woman empowerment project in Ganta, Nimba County.
The project site has already been identified, she said.
Expected to begin early 2018 at a cost of over US$500, 000, the center when completed would host over 500 persons with modern equipment for training.
This year’s convention brought together scores of Nimba citizens from across the United States, who discussed future programs of the organization as well as its membership engagement across America and Liberia.
The convention was climaxed by an evening dinner.