Scholarships for Liberia (SFL), a newly formed Liberian education trust will be launched on Saturday, the 30^th of January, 2010 in the South Eastern town of Milton Keynes in Buckinghamshire, United Kingdom.  SFL aspires to become a fully registered UK charity in the near future and therefore encourage Liberians residing in the UK and other humanitarians to attend the event and make its launching and fundraising program a success.    

 As connoted in its name, SFL seeks to provide scholarships to young Liberians in schools and institutions of higher learning throughout Liberia. It also intends to achieve these objectives through fundraising, the facilitation of academic exchanges between schools, colleges and universities in Liberia and abroad. SFL aims to serve as a conduit for the donation of academic materials to schools around Liberia.

According to the founding chairlady of SFL Ms. Suneeta Kapoor, Liberia probably has one of the cheapest state-owned universities in the world.  With tuition fees of less than $74.00 United States dollars or £40.00 pound sterling for twenty-one credit hours, SFL initially intends to provide scholarships for freshmen students at the University of Liberia.

Ms. Kapoor says scholarship applicants would be given an aptitude test to prove their skills and successful applicants will thereafter be interviewed to determine their financial needs.  The number of beneficiaries will depend on the resources available. SFL also intends to support the education system in Liberia as the organization expands. 

The cessation of the Liberian war has inspired many Liberians around the world towards humanitarian causes. It can be clearly seen on social networking sites that organisations and philanthropists are exhausting resources towards informing friends and sympathisers about the suffering Liberians endured at the hands of the civil war and what resources are needed to aid in the maintenance of peace, security and sustained stability in the country. 

Liberians in Europe, through leaders of community organisations, have begun petitioning their communes, councils or local NGOs for financial contributions towards assisting orphans and their countrymen returning to normal lives.    

The launching program runs from 6:00 pm to 11:00 pm at the Old Bath House, 205 Stratford Road, Wolverton, Milton Keynes, MK12 5RL.  Tickets are on sale for £15.00, £25.00 and £50.00. Food will be provided free of charge but drinks will be sold.

Individuals and organizations wanting to make donations to Scholarships for Liberia can contact the organization through its e-mail address at scholarshipsforliberia@yahoo.com or call +44-7825605015 or +44-7838796428.

Writes, Douglas Farngalo
Freelance correspondent, Birmingham, UK
gondah678@yahoo.co.uk