HARBEL, Margibi – A young entrepreneur has awarded scholarships to 65 needy Margibi students at grade schools and colleges.

Ivar Jones, who owns Favor Marketing Incorporated, a distributor of scratch cards in eight counties in Liberia, provided 60-grade school students and five undergraduate students with scholarships for one academic year.

Jones said after several years of successful accomplishments in the business field, he needed to give back.

“I feel humbled today, in providing an opportunity I never had in my educational sojourn, to students in a county I call my home,” Jones said. “I walked many days to go to school, [and never] had recess [money] from my parents. Not that they were uncaring, but [they] couldn’t just afford it for their many children.”

For over three years now, Margibi’s administration has complained of the lack of funding to aid students on county-funded scholarships. In past years, the county awarded scholarships to students through funding received from Firestone as payment for land rental and the China Union through its social development fund.

Recently, the county’s administration confirmed that it is indebted to several institutions and says scholarships will not be awarded to students until those previous arrears are settled.

Featured photo by Jefferson Daryoue