Senior Citizen Gets New Home in Dangriga
Today, the Hand in Hand in Ministries and two of their corporate partners handed over a new house to a deserving recipient in Dangriga Town. We’ve shown you many of the houses and new home owners over the years and today’s ribbon cutting was just a little bit more extra special for all involved. News Five’s Andrea Polanco went south to share the heartwarming story of the grateful family.
Andrea Polanco, Reporting
Seventy-five year old Alexandrina Bregal was handed keys to a brand new house this morning in the Benguche Area in Dangriga. The senior citizen and her daughter, Aretha Bregal, took a tour of their sixteen by sixteen furnishedtwo bedroom wooden house. Aretha was overwhelmed by the donation.
Aretha Bregal, Daughter
“We feel so blessed. I give God all thanks and praise. We are feeling so blessed. After praying for so many years it is has finally come true, so all thanks and praise to God.”
Andrea Polanco
“So, now this is a donation to your mom, talk to us about her situation?”
Aretha Bregal
Aretha Bregal
“My mom is blind and she cannot move around well, yes.”
Andrea Polanco
“Now, is a donation you expected?”
Aretha Bregal
“Hmm… wow! More than. Way more than what we expected.”
Andrea Polanco
“How much, and perhaps if you can describe, to what extent will this donation change her life?”
Aretha Bregal
“Oh! Wow. It will really change her life. She will be able to move around more often and she will feel safe because in the first house when it rain it would leak. But everything is much better now.”
Andrea Polanco
“Alright. So when is she moving in?”
Aretha Bregal
“[Laughing] As soon as possible.”
The total cost of the house and furniture is around twenty-five thousand dollars. It was gifted through the Hand in Hand Ministries and funded by two corporate partners one of which is the Belize Bank.
Troylynn Johnson Hill
Troylynn Johnson Hill, Dangriga Branch Manager, Belize Bank [MVI_0489]
“We’ve been here and we’ve been able to mobilize our staff from Friday we started working and Saturday the majority of the staff were here painting, sawing, hammering and getting the house together. So it’s a really big initiative on our behalf.”
Andrea Polanco
“So, from what I understand, this house is also being furnished?”
Troylynn Johnson Hill
“ Yes, this house was furnished with a refrigerator, a stove, a table, a kitchen sink will be installed, two beds- it’s a two bedroom- complete bathroom; which is not normal for Hand in Hand Ministries because the house is normally unfurnished. Given the commemoration of the three hundredth house we felt we needed to go the extra mile and Ms Bregal is very deserving of it.”
Andrea Polanco
“Talk to us about how was she selected for this house?”
Troylynn Johnson Hill
“She was shortlisted from three based on need and her medical condition. She suffers from diabetes and Alzheimer’s. She is very elderly so even though we have put a lot into building the house, she will not be able to see it but she will be able to feel the love that comes with the home.”
For the Hand in Hand Ministries, thishouse is a special achievement:
Bernard Panton
Bernard Panton, Director, Building for Change Program, Hand in Hand Ministries
“This is one of our milestones. Every fiftieth house for us is a milestone. So, this being the three hundredth is our six milestone and so every milestone comes with a little additional. A normal house wouldn’t come with a porch and if you notice that there is a little porch on that. And regularly our houses don’t come with plumbing and electrical, this has that. So it is a very special one for us and the families we build for are also very special.”
For corporate partner B.E.L., PR Manager Vonetta Burrell says that this initiative falls in line with their culture of giving back to people like Alexandrina Bregal.
Vonetta Burrell
Vonetta Burrell, PR Manager, B.E.L.
“We both have been contributing towards Hand in Hand, in terms of construction, through volunteerism of our employees and financial contribution. With this being a milestone, the three hundredth house being constructed in the country, we found it very fit for the two companies who have pledged their commitment to Hand in Hand to join forces and make sure that this house represents all of our objectives making sure that we provide to those who need and that we ensure that in addition to giving financially, the people who work within our organisations can also get a better appreciation of what other people need who may not be as fortunate. We want to make sure that the persons who have contributed to building this society can benefit from those of us who can now give back to them. At B.E.L. we have several programs that are aimed at paying honor and respect to our senior citizens through, for example, the house that we constructed today.”
Reporting for News Five, I am Andrea Polanco.
If you want more information on how to go about applying for a house with the Hand In Hand Ministries, you can visit their offices on North Front Street on the second floor of the Parish Hall.
