Undergraduate tuition

My name is Salieu Gbla I was born in Sierra Leone during its devastating civil war (1991-2002). During that time, my father passed away without my knowledge. Around the same time, I was involved in a road traffic accident that broke my leg and almost killed me. Shortly after, I was sent to neighboring Guinea at the age of five to live there temporarily to seek asylum. In the confusion of being uprooted from my home, I lost touch with my parents, became homeless, and at age nine I contracted Polio, which left me with permanent injury to my legs and feet. It affects my mobility to this day and my legs frequently cramp up and cause me pain. Years of it. Life is difficult for disabled people in Sierra Leone.

Those who are unable to work are often forced to beg on the street. They often experience physical abuse from the people they meet, including the police. Many are unable to defend themselves. It starts with the family, they are not interested anymore in the person if they cannot do anything for the family or themselves. There's no government support for people with disabilities. A lot of people are living in the street, abandoned by family, they think people with disabilities are cursed. They're blamed for their own disabilities. Things are really bad in Sierra Leone. I faced a lot of abuse in my life with my friends - police beatings, torture, arrest, and imprisonment. Two of my close friends died while in custody after they became sick and received no medical treatment in prison.

After I came out, I didn't have anybody again. These were my friends. We moved together, we played, we laughed, and now I lost them. I didn't have anybody anymore to look at, to be part of, so I decided to move from Sierra Leone to Cyprus, because I need to move my life. It was a really horrible life for me in Sierra Leone. In 2018, I attempted suicide, but somebody who was watching saved me. Life was really tough. I travelled to Cyprus in November 2020. Gaining asylum is a long and arduous process. I made my application upon arrival and stayed in the infamous Pournara camp, just outside of Nicosia, for the first three months. I was forced to camp outside through the winter. My legs cramped up in the cold weather, causing me a great deal of pain. I tried to speak to the authorities, but they failed to listen. “I came out of Pournara camp.” I said to myself, “Okay, I’m going to face life again”. I started going out, looking for work, applying for school.

Then I started having flashbacks to Sierra Leone. People don’t understand or even want to accept our situation here in Cyprus. People just look at someone who has a disability as a kind of person who doesn’t fit or doesn’t deserve to have a better life. All you can do is stay at home. People think the government is giving you support, which it’s not. The support disabled people receive is the same as everyone else receives. I apply for jobs, but no one accepts me because of my physical appearance. So, I get thinking, where am I? Is this Africa or is this Europe? I was really discouraged and really depressed. I later decided that the best way to keep my mind active while unemployed was to start volunteering. The Dignity Centre’s co-ordinator Paula asked him to come in and help people with their Labour Cards.

After a long struggle, I have managed to obtain a partial scholarship at the University of Nicosia, studying Computer Engineering, which was a dream come true. I always wanted a degree. I want to be a programmer if I have the opportunity to finish my school. I really love technology, I always remind myself to work hard because hard work paids off, not instantly but sooner or later. Also, I taught myself to appreciate everything I have, and to never get carried away by money, to get an education and become someone in life. My goal should be to help those who are struggling, especially people with disabilities as well and support them to keep chasing after their dreams. My encounters in life showed me that I could use my life story to lend a hand and make a difference.

For people like me this is the best way to level up in life, is to keep learning. I'm Salieu Gbla help me raising €12.500. to complect my remaining two years. I will keep posted year after year with my progress at the university, to achieved my dream in computer engineering at the University of Nicosia undergraduate 2022 fall. I known that money can be tight, so please know that even €50 can help me get closer to my goal.