Women?s group takes credit for drop in Southside crime

Today was what we in the media call a slow crime day; that is an absence of deadly violence on the streets of Belize City. Well tonight, a group of women on the southside of the city is claiming some credit for that fact. They call themselves the Yabra Citizens Development Committee… a group made up of grieving mothers who have lost sons to shootings and stabbings. Since October, they’ve been working to build self-esteem in their community by holding mediation sessions for rival groups and providing job placement and training opportunities. And according to founder Liz Longsworth, the success has been overwhelming.

Liz Longsworth, Founder, Yabra Citizens Dev. Committee
?When the mothers they grieve, da no only deh one grieve because most of the kids come round my house right and inna the immediate area, because I live in front of the Wilton Cumberbatch Field, and so they socialise round there a lot. So I seh, I get with Mr. Jeffries and ask ah if he think it woulda be a good idea if we get the guys them together to stop this animosity and he seh go out deh and try it and then we will assist you. That dah where we at, and we manage to get them under one roof, everybody happy with one another. Thank God, from two months ago since we started the thing, I no know if you notice unu no come do no body thing lately you know. We happy about it and we continue pray to God.?

?I think that maybe the other people they noh know, but they could come. We deh right on Kraal Road da the lee Calgary Church; dah there we meet every Sunday. And Wednesday night, for the guys dem, for the young men them, deh could come to fu hear if they could get place maybe back a Port, we di try get some jobs fi them back deh. We just have to try get it better fi continue on fi mek everybody get distracted from violence.?

The Yabra Citizens Development Committee is organising a family fun day in Port Loyola on twenty-sixth of December. If you would like to donate time or money to the initiative, please contact Liz Longsworth at 207-6727 or 605-7320. We understand a building has already been identified for use as a mediation centre and to establish a police presence in the area.