Monrovia – Ahead of the resumption of Academic activities for the ensuing school year,2018/2019, a local non-governmental organization,” Youth Eye Liberia”; YEL has provided assorted classroom materials to over one hundred and fifty students in Montserrado County.
Beneficiaries of the Youth Eye Liberia donation were drawn from two (2) underprivileged communities within the suburb of Paynesville including Belle Towns of 72nd and S. D. Cooper Road.
Presenting the assorted classroom materials to the students, YEL Executive Director Nimpson Todd said the donation was part of his organization’s 2018/ 2019 Students Assistance Program in which needy students from challenged communities are identified for support.
“Under our Students Assistance Program, we provide classroom materials and financial support to our students whose parents cannot afford”, said Executive Director Todd to the jubilant recipients on August 24.
According to Mr. Todd, a vetting committee was established to go into the communities to identify students or individuals that are the need and these individuals must be children of parents who are disadvantaged and incapable to send their children to school.
“The essence of our organization is to provide light in the darkness, hope for the hopeless and strength for the weary, we believe each Liberian child must be given the opportunity to education so YEL is here to help the parents deliver such opportunities to their children”, the Youth Eye Liberia Executive Director explained to students and parents at the program.
The YEL Boss noted that his organization’s students Assistance Program is in two (2) phases commencing at the beginning of the Academic year and at the start of the Second semester.
Classroom materials provided to the beneficiaries include 100 pages hardback composition books,2H pencils, pens and sharpeners.
The youth Eye Liberia Boss put the cost of the materials at around seventy-five thousand (75,000) Liberian dollars.
“People are always in need and so we divided our SAP into two (2) phases wherein we can provide assistance to our students at all times especially at the commencement of the Academic year and during the semester break for a new set of beneficiaries,” Todd said.
According to the YEL’s Boss, since the establishment of his organization in 2008, about fifteen (15) students have benefited from his organization’s scholarship program at the Primary-levels while more than one thousand five hundred (1500) students have benefited from the YEL’s Students Assistance Program.
Mr. Todd expressed his organization’s desire to expand its activities and programs to other counties with the necessary support either from government or donor organizations.
“We are aware that there are several other children in other parts of our country that are in dire need of these Assistance but because our organization is run from the dues of committed members, we are restricted to Montserrado because what we collect is so inadequate to enable our extension outside of Montserrado,” Nimpson said.
According Mr. Todd, in Monrovia alone,his organization has identified more than fifty thousand (50,000) underprivileged and challenged children whose parents find it almost impossible to send their children to school yearly.
“According to our assessment, if we as organizations and government don’t invest in the future of these underprivileged children, our country will be compelled to confront these children as adults tomorrow cus we failed to deliver a future unit them,” Todd mentioned.
For their part,the beneficiaries thanked Youth Eye Liberia for the donation describing it as timely.
According to one parent who spoke on behalf of his colleagues for the students, the donation will go a long way in the life of the beneficiaries especially at a time when Liberians were experiencing financial difficulties.
Mr. Alex Forkpah then called on other philanthropists to follow the example of YEL as doing so is the value of life.