Sierra Leoneans in California award scholarships to Salone students
Freetown, Sept. 25 (SLENA) – The United Brothers and Sisters of Sierra Leone (UBSSL) based in California, USA, last week Saturday awarded scholarships to university students, secondary school pupils and two elementary school shildren at the Amaria Primary school, Mountain Cut in Freetown.
It should be recalled that the UBSSL Financial Aid started in 2011.
In his remarks, Chairman of the program, Alhaji Gibril Savage, expressed thanks and appreciation to the United Brothers and Sisters of Sierra Leone based in California for their support towards education in the country.
He admonished the recipients to continue to work hard in their various universities and schools in order for them to maintain their Scholarship.
Speaking on behalf of the President of UBSSL, Abdul Kassim, the Coordinator in Sierra Leone who is also an Honorary Member of UBSSL, Hawanatu Bockari welcomed the awardees and guests to the award ceremony, noting that a similar ceremony is also being held in Bo Town.
She further thanked all UBSSL members in the US for their valuable contributions and support in the development of UBSSL. She also thanked and recognized the following patrons of UBSSL for their support and generous donation towards the scholarship fund:
Mr Patrick Gagnet, General Manager of John Elway’s Crown Toyota, staff of Crown Toyota, Mrs. Isatu Timbo- Nwokedi and Mr.& Mrs. Kenneth Stewart.
Miss Bockari also thanked the guest of UBSSL California for their support. She explained that last year her organization awarded 30 scholarships to Sierra Leone (Freetown and Bo) and 2 in Southern California. She disclosed that this year UBSSL awarded twenty-one scholarships including a recipient in Kenema and three scholarships were awarded to college students in Sothern California.
She disclosed that not all of the scholarships in Sierra Leone have been renewed as four students at IPAM and N’Jala University College have still not received their statements of results. She congratulated the recipients and urged them to continue their good work.
She noted that UBSSL also donated a laptop to each of the University students they are sponsoring and also gave some laptops to the Sierra Leone Grammar School, Blama Secondary School and the Islamic school in Lunsar.
She maintained that Sierra Leone has demonstrated her interest and priority given to education, noting that the recent Ebola epidemic left the Government with no choice but to temporarily close down schools. She expressed delight on the reopening of schools.
Hawanatu Bockari pointed out that during that period, UBSSL bought and distributed about 110 bags of rice, tomatoes, onions and Maggie to some quarantine victims, stating that each of the students received a bag of rice each.
She informed the participants that during UBSSL last April Fund raising program in California, eleven fallen medical doctors, all the nurses and non- medical victims who died from the Ebola were honored. She added that Mrs. Isatu Timbo- Nwokedi received the award plaques on behalf of the Sierra Leone Government, stating that it is the hope of UBSSL that the plaques will be placed in the Sierra Leone Museum.
The two new awardees of the 2015 Scholarship fund, Iye Bensin- Kamara and Joseph Deen-Koroma expressed appreciation to the United Brothers and Sisters of Sierra Leone for awarding them the Scholarship and promised to maintain it by working hard in school.
A final year student of Fourah Bay College, University of Sierra Leone, Jamestina Blake thanked UBSSL for their support on behalf of the recipients.
Credit SLENA
BY Hawanatu Bockari
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