U.S. Army donates beds, stoves to Youth Hostel

Earlier this year the Youth Hostel on the Western Highway was treated to a facelift courtesy of the United States Military Liaison Office. Today the Americans returned to the institution to donate some essential items.

Teresita Wade, Supervisor, Youth Hostel
“Through the liaison of both organizations this is the way how they finally came and gave us these donations of bunk beds, they gave us mattresses, stoves, refrigerators, pillows, blankets, quilts, sheets.”

Marion Ali
“So the hostel came up with a list or they just provided those items?”

Teresita Wade
“They ask what we needed the most and they gave us it.”

Marion Ali
“How significant is it to the institution?”

Teresita Wade
“Very. As you can see beds are set up Because these are thing that we need for the children to be more comfortable in a family setting and everything. So these are things that are very helpful to our institution.”

Leonard Hill, Deputy Chief of Mission, U.S. Embassy
“This came about through the hard work of a number of members of the staff of our military liaison office in Belize City who saw a need here for U.S. assistance and there’s a programme that the U.S. Southern Command has called the Humanitarian Assistance Programme. This project to help rehabilitate the dormitories and then provide household items fell within the guidelines of this programme and so with a lot of hard work by the M.L.O. staff they were able to make this assistance a reality.”

Today’s donation is valued at approximately thirty-six thousand dollars. There are thirty boys and girls living at the Youth Hostel, located at mile twenty-two on the Western Highway.