One Legged African Pharmacy Student Seeks Grant Money To Continue Studies

by Naderma
(Africa)

I am a 24-year-old male student of pharmacy in the faculty of medicine in Africa. I am in the third year of a program of five years.

I am the third born in a family of nine children. I am single and I have not been involved in any military service.

In the 1990s, when many countries were in turmoil, a bomb hit our house and exploded in our bedroom.

It was midnight and we were three children on the same bed. My small brother died, my elder brother got wounded but cured after and my left leg was so severely wounded that the Doctor decided to cut it.

From that moment, I became a one-legged boy.

As a university student living with a disability, I am in dire financial straits. It is now worsened by the decision of the Government to cancel allowance fees for public students in Universities.

Currently, I don't have money to pay my health insurance, to repair my aged and damaged prosthesis, to cover my daily livings, including house rent, restaurant, to make copies of notes, books, and other school materials, to pay my every-day local transport inside and outside the campus since it is not easy for me to travel quickly to hard-to-reach areas of the university such as going up and down stairs etc.

In addition, due to number of students exceeding the size of classrooms and the number of other university installations, I can't access many university services such as Internet connections, library, lectures, etc.

And, the third year is when pharmacy students start doing research for their final paper called a "Memoire." Unfortunately, I haven't started doing anything about it because I don't have my own laptop to help me.

Now, people want me to pay back their money that I have borrowed from them to cover all expenditures after the government decision. This is quickly pushing me to a university withdrawal decision.

I used all my efforts for the government to give me credit to be paid back after completing my studies but they definitively refused.

Meanwhile, I tried all my best looking for any available part-time job in the university surroundings but I unfortunately found nothing because of a numerous number of job seekers who are not disabled.

I only apply for any available occasional opportunities of volunteer teaching people in the rural communities and they give money for transport.

I also help some children from wealthy families who are preparing for National exams.

I planned to run a business of photocopying, typing and printing. Finally I did not find funds to buy materials such as photocopier, computer, printer and other related devices.

I need grant money for prosthesis repair and/or replacement, to pay my health insurance, to buy a laptop so that I start the research for my "Memoire" as soon as possible.

This laptop will also help me designing flyers, logos and such, as well as typing texts for people, as a way of earning money.

A small sum of it will be reimbursed to people who paid some daily expenditures within these two last months.

The big portion of the grant will be used to buy all necessary school materials and cover my living cost in the 2-1/2 years remaining to finish the bachelors program.

Any other available help will be very much appreciated.