Stella Maris breaks ground on new building

Stella Maris, Belize’s only school that caters to people with disabilities and special needs, has been operating for years with a shortage of space, but not much longer. A new reinforced concrete facility, courtesy of the United Kingdom government, is about to be constructed to accommodate it’s growing student population. Area Representative for the Freetown Division, Jorge Espat, was on hand for today’s ground breaking ceremony.

Jorge Espat, Area Representative, Albert Division

“We did lobby intensively to insure that in fact the Belizean children, young men and women with special needs, be given great attention. The project calls for a two storey concrete building measuring a hundred feet by thirty feet, estimated cost at four hundred and sixty six thousand dollars. We’re hoping that the contractor Mr. Bavin Mossiah, will have the structure up in about six months. The facility will have four classrooms and principals office, toilet facilities, kitchen access ramp and it will also be used as a hurricane shelter for any hurricane that is category five and under.”

Joy Westby, Vice Principal, Stella Maris School

“The classrooms that we presently have are much too small. Our children, they learn from hands on experiences. If it was up to us we would try and take our whole experiences into the classroom to better facilitate the learning process of the children. So therefore with this new building we are definitely going to make maximum use of the spacious size, the ramp service. Presently we have no ramps even though we have an upstairs wooden building. So it will be very beneficial to the students.”

Jorge Espat

“In addition to this building, the Ministry of Economic Development is also funding the project that will rehabilitate the existing building. And we’re hoping that when both of them are done in fact we will have a campus worthy of our young children with special needs.”