A Lord’s Bank Family receives new house from TUBAL and CALMS

A family in Lord’s Bank is moving into a brand new house, thanks to TUBAL and an organization called CALMS, the Central American Lutheran Mission Society. Irma Bardalez, the recipient was overjoyed at the generosity of the organizations. Duane Moody was hand for the handing over.

Duane Moody, Reporting

Today, a legally blind resident of the Lord’s Bank community, Irma Baldarez was overjoyed by the almost completed house, she can now call home. The lucky recipient relocated from Corozal three years ago. Baldarez officially accepted an upgrade from a wooden house to a two-bedroom bungalow.

Irma Baldarez, Recipient of House

Irma Baldarez

“At this moment I am grateful and thankful to god for these people being a blessing. I thank god for blessing the CALMS Foundation and Tubal, the missionaries that have took time out from their comfort zone to come to Belize to help us and to bless those who are in need. I am very grateful of that.”

The house, valued at fifteen thousand dollars, is part of a project by Tubal Trade and Vocational Institute and the Central American Lutheran Mission Society. CALMS is a mission based organization out of the U.S. that assists persons in need.

Joanne Akenroye

Joanne Akenroye, CALMS

“We were exposed to them about two years ago and we did some exploratory trips. We came to Belize, we went to Guatemala and we just really felt that they just really had a wonderful approach and we are really reaching out to help those in most need. And we like the way how they execute it and so we joined up with them and really excited about having them as our sponsors here. We brought a team together with a variety of skills—from folks that had been trained in construction, others with electrical, others with good working skills. We came together as this team this week, under the leadership of Mister Bailey and the other gentleman at the site. We were pretty much able to bring the house to near completion.”

According to Director of Tubal Trade and Vocational Institute, Lyndon Bailey, this is the second house that has been completed and handed over to needy families in the community.

Lyndon Bailey

Lyndon Bailey, Founding Director, Tubal Trade and Vocational Institute

“We have joined up with an organization named CALMS. These people go back to United States and they raise funds through their churches and they send the funds down to the school and then we build the house…take it to a level and when they come in for a week, they finish off the house. We have a board of directors with all the pastors from the different churches in the community and then we go around in the community or we can select them from within the church; the most needy people. And then we vote and then we move from there. I am the one that supervise and make sure that the house is built up to standard…using our students to do it.”

The group returns to the U.S. on Sunday. Duane Moody for News Five.