Seventy-five per cent of clients at Thornaby’s Sprouts Community Food Charity (SCFC) are now Nigerian students struggling to cope with a financial crisis, charity manager Debbie Fixter revealed.
The charity, which provides food, clothes, and household items, has seen a surge in Nigerian students seeking assistance.
However, Fixter told BBC News that the charity is at “maximum capacity.”
SCFC reported that its clientele has shifted in recent months, with the majority of visitors being Nigerian master’s degree students from Teesside University.
Nigerian students in the United Kingdom have recently been making headlines, as some have been blocked from continuing their studies and ordered to return to Nigeria due to unpaid tuition fees.
The devaluation has reportedly wiped out some students’ savings and forced them to cut back on essentials.
Now, an increasing number of students who come to the UK are turning to community charities and organisations for much-needed help, according to Fixter.
“They’re really struggling, they need help, and they’re part of our community,” said Fixter.
One of the charity clients, Boluwatife Elusakin, a Nigerian student in the UK, told the BBC that he has had to “dive deep” to afford the cost of living and studying in the UK, stating that “things are no longer the same, I’ve had to cut costs because of the currency crash, it hit my savings as I’d already budgeted funds to come here.
It makes me feel sad, but I hope I can endure just one year and all will be well.”
Another student, who wished to remain anonymous, criticised the university, stating that the university’s change to payment plans—from seven instalments to three—had exacerbated problems.
He also said students who hoped to find jobs to help plug funding gaps were limited by the number of hours they were legally allowed to work.
“When I was applying, the exchange rate was around 600 naira per pound, but by the time I arrived, it was 1,400. At the time we filled out forms, we had proof of funds to cater for nine months. But the money is not enough, you don’t have a job or the means to get one, the little you have is depleting, and a lot of us have difficulties. When you don’t have funds in your pocket, frustration sets in and a lot are having mental issues. Some wish they had never come.”
However, Fixter noted that more needs to be done to address the crisis, stating that SCFC is currently at “maximum capacity” and struggling to meet the demand for assistance.
She called on Teesside University to offer more support and acknowledged the university’s proactive response in offering a generous £500 donation in Sainsbury’s vouchers after being made aware of the situation.
However, she stated that this was just a “drop in the ocean” in terms of what was needed to support the charity’s growing student population.
Teesside’s spokesperson, on the other hand, said it worked closely with community organisations to signpost students back to its own support services and had provided vouchers and contributions to ensure the organisations could offer consent to students.
“Teesside University remains a popular destination for students from across the world who choose to study here because of its global reputation for excellence in teaching and research,” a spokesman added.
“All international applicants need to provide evidence that they have sufficient funds to cover tuition fees and living costs as part of the visa application process.”
The university is also offering “case-by-case” support to those affected by the situation in Nigeria.
