Digital Connect Center in Carmelita Burglarized
Kevin Bernard
Through assistance from the Taiwanese Government, digital connect centers have been installed in several villages and communities across the country. Three months after the launch of one of the centers in Carmelita, thieves broke into the building and stole all the electronic devices, leaving behind only two chairs. Several persons have been arrested, including residents from the village. It is a crime that has Orange Walk East area representative Kevin Bernard incensed.
Kevin Bernard, Area Representative, Orange Walk East
“I was so furious about that thing. I think it is so disheartening to see that people would stoop so low. In July of this year, we were able to inaugurate, launch the digital connect center just to see less than three months, it’s been vandalized, burglarised by the people that live within the same community. I want to thank the police though because their response has been very swift; they made a few arrested and questions are being sought. We get to understand that some of these items are already on sale in Belize City. So the police, the C.I.B., are following up on every lead and I would hope that they can bring those people to justice. At the end of the day, it does not hurt me; it hurts the community, it hurts the young people, the people who had access to these things who did not have access at home. And that’s what the digital connect center is about. It is not just a center where people go there and sit on a computer. It was going to be used for training, for digital training, for people who wanted to learn – whether you are young middle age or old – it was a point for people to get ahead and bridge that digital gap that exist in the country. And so yeah, I was so upset when I heard this news and hopefully we can bring these people to justice. They stole every single thing – from the modem, the printer, everything. They only left two chair ina di room; that was all because they probably couldn’t fit in the vehicle. But they stole everything from the community center. And that’s because the community center, where the room was, you also had a door that was locked so they had to have access somewhere and that is where the police is now continuing their investigation in terms of how this happened.”
Bernard says that he will be lobbying for the replacement of the stolen equipment so that the center can be up and running to serve the community.
