Liberia: Rep. Foko Rescues ‘Special Needs’ University Students

A group of students with special needs at the  United Methodist University (UMU) have no cause to worry about school fees/tuitions anymore as Montserrado County District #9 Representative, Frank Saah Foko, has shoulder the financial aspect of their academic burdens through the provision of scholarships.. 

Also known as people living with disabilities or physically challenged, Rep. Foko said the students are young people with special needs, and as such, they need special care and attention. 

“We have seen the need to shoulder the financial burdens of our brothers and sisters here at UMU so that they will not need to worry and focus on their lessons,” The District #9 Lawmaker said at a fundraising program organized by the leadership of the Junior Class of the university. There are a total of ten students with special needs currently at UMU, and Foko noted that all of them will benefit from the scholarships.  

“We have decided to put them on our scholarship because we want to provide them with the space so that they can feel included in the larger society. In fact, these are the people who need help the most, and we will do all in our power to lend them that helping hand,” Foko, who served as the keynote speaker and chief launcher of the fundraiser,  told the multitude of students who converged at the program.

He promised to cater to their needs until they graduate from the institution, adding that it is high time people living with disabilities are given the requisite opportunities to also strive. “And the best opportunity we can give them now is education–because with education they can become empowered to cater to their needs and those of their families,” he said.

Foko pledged to work with the leadership of the Junior Class of the university to ensure that the requisite modalities are worked out for the scholarship to begin effective immediately.

However, the fundraiser was meant to provide financial aid to the special needs students, who include the blind and disabled.

“We noticed the kind of difficulties that our brothers and sisters with special needs have been going through, and we decided to do something to help them,” UMU Junior Class president, Matthew Fomgbeh told the Daily Observer in an exclusive interview. “We noticed that some of them can skip semesters due to lack of financial support. I can really feel for them, so I shared the idea with my colleagues in leadership so that we could do something. This is how this idea was conceived.”

Fomgbeh said the challenges can be so huge for the students, especially during the registration period. “If it can be difficult for some of us who we say have no problem, why talk more about our special needs brothers and sisters? He asked rhetorically. “We want some relief for them and God is helping us in that direction.”

Fomgbeh lauded Rep. Foko for the gesture and said that it is a show of real leadership. “We want to be grateful to the lawmaker. This is a great relief to our colleagues and we want to be forever thankful.”

He called on other well meaning Liberians to take on great initiatives that will help bring relief to others who are suffering and need help. “I think that is the essence of leadership and Rep. Foko exemplifies that,” Fomgbeh said. 

Members of the group were overly excited, with some practically shedding years upon hearing about the scholarship gesture. Victor Zonto, the head of the group, called the gesture a total relief. 

“This is a great relief for us, and we are forever grateful to Rep. Foko,” Zonto told the Daily Observer. 

UMU Junior Class President, Fomgbeh, and Special Needs Student, Zonto

Zonto said life has been difficult for him and his colleagues but God has been carrying through their academic journeys. “It is only God who has kept some of us here at the university because the challenges are so enormous–from financial to accessing spaces within the campus to access to resource materials. It has not been easy. But we are glad for this gesture. It is huge and we are indeed grateful,” Zonto, who is a 2nd year education major student said.

“There are a lot of our colleagues out there in various universities who are facing similar challenges like us, and we hope similar help can go their way. They too deserve some financial relief,” he said. “We want people of good-will, like Rep. Foko, to look at students with special needs. We are not many but the few that are making the sacrifices to be in school need some level of help.”