(CROWDFUNDING CAMPAIGN) Please help me study in England

http://www.gofundme.com/sagmx9h

My name is Vincent, I am 22 years old, have been blind since birth and have always had a limitless predilection for the English language and culture. I hope to be a translator Dutch-English/English-Dutch (Dutch being my native language) and started studying Applied Linguistics at the University of Antwerp in 2011.

Linguistics studies in Belgium consist of two languages, so I chose English and Spanish. For my Bachelor’s thesis, I translated and discussed a chapter of Watching The English: Te Hidden Rules of English Behaviour. I received my Bachelor’s certificate in February but would still love to specialise in English because I am convinced it is still not my second native language, and it should be.

During the summer holidays I went to a host family in Kent to improve my informal English. Eye Talk English offers English courses for the blind and visually impaired and their students can choose the level of study themselves. I was amazed at how many subtleties and nuances they taught me simply by having ordinary conversations with me or with each other and the two-week stay with them has been incredibly instructive and enjoyable. When I returned to Belgium, I realised it would take living in England to be able to fully command the English language.

Everyone has always studied for free in Belgium, meaning we have no clue whatsoever about tuition fees. I applied to the University of Manchester in January and received an unconditional offer this month for the Ba in English Language. This course – English Language (3 Years) [BA] – 2015 entry – course details | The University of Manchester (http://www.manchester.ac.uk/study/undergraduate/courses/2015/00212/english-language-3-years-ba/course-details/) –
and this course alone offers all the modules a translator really needs, unlike 50 other undergraduate and Master’s degrees in the UK. Not a single Belgian course is this interesting, and the Netherlands does not offer the excellent disability support available in Manchester. The huge issue, however, is money.

Since I already have a degree, I do not qualify for a tuition fee loan – �9,000 a year – a maintenance loan or Disability Allowance. Taking out a private loan in Belgium is impossible as well because I would have to pay it back in 10 years, which is impossible for me and my family.

The final solution seems to be crowdfunding. I can only hope and pray that this will enable me to study and live with my favourite people in the world, even though I realise that fairy godmothers are needed here. If you would like to contribute or have any questions whatsoever regarding my studies, interests, course work I completed in the past etc., please do not hesitate to contact me on Facebook, or you can send me a PM. For those of you who cannot or do not wish to donate, please consider spreading my message on social media to as many people as you can so that the thing might go viral.

Thanks to everyone who read this, who would like to donate or who shared my campaign.

Kind regards,

Vincent Fernandes