Scholarship Blessings

Editor’s Note: Lezoghia (popularly known as Zo) Member-Meneh was born to the family of Bishop Tsaro and Flora L. Member-Meneh in Wiiyaakara-Bori town, Ogoni, Rivers State of Nigeria. At the time of his birth, his father Tsaro, was living in a refugee camp in the neighboring country of Benin, having fled there to escape political persecution, incarceration and more, in Nigeria. At the age of six months, Lezoghia and his siblings, along with their mother, Flora L. Member-Meneh, joined their father in the refugee camp in Benin where they remained until they were selected for resettlement in the USA. Here Lezoghia tells us the rest of the story.

With God’s love, mercy, and favor, all things are possible, and when God speaks, all surrender. Thanks be to God Almighty for using Messiah Lutheran Church, Saint Louis, and CFNA as pillars for me and my family’s one-of-a-kind journey. We were refugees from Nigeria, running from the reach of President Sani Abacha because my father fought for the rights of the Ogoni people. That flight led us to the United States of America, where we landed in St. Louis with nothing. 

Listen to this video message from Leketor, Nadum, and me.

Messiah Lutheran Church provided us with accommodation, clothing, a church home, and an introduction to CFNA. CFNA provided Nadum, Goka, Leketor and me with the financial support required for enrollment in Lutheran schools. They also provided us with emotional support through after-school activities that connected us with other students just like us. This gave us a sense of community in a new space and financial support so cost wouldn’t deter us from having some of the best education in Saint Louis. 

Thanks to God’s work through CFNA, I, a Nigerian-born, South City Saint Louis-raised kid was able to attend and graduate debt-free from a Division 1 school, Alabama State University. I then landed my dream job at Google. Now I can showcase how much of a difference an opportunity like the one I had makes in children’s lives. 

CFNA has been a foundational pillar in my family’s lives through the opportunities they’ve provided us when we were children. Nadum is now a Clinical Research Associate for a biopharmaceutical company, Goka is a Commercial Property and Casualty Underwriter for an insurance company, and Leketor is a professional volleyball player for the Atlanta Vibe in the league’s very first inaugural season. Moreover, CFNA has helped me recover from the trauma of my refugee experience. They helped me find hope and, more importantly, believe in myself, enabling me to build a new life in the United States. 

For me and my brother and sisters, who were all former CFNA scholarship students, it has been a "Goal achieved." From the bottom of our hearts, we give thanks to God and to all of you who have provided hope and encouragement during our journey. 

To extend this blessing to other refugees we have established, in partnership with CFNA, the Member-Meneh Scholarship Fund with the goal of raising $20,000 for the coming academic year, where a percentage of every donation will be matched by Google. With the Member-Meneh Scholarship Fund, the Member-Meneh Foundation is committed to helping 1 Million Refugees in our lifetime! Should you feel inclined to join us, you may do so by contributing to this GoFundMe effort found here: https://www.gofundme.com/f/the-membermeneh-scholarship.

For more information, you may reach me at themembermenehfoundation@gmail.com.

Thank you all. 

By Zo Member-Meneh