Belize Rural Kids Get School Bags for New Year

The new school year starts in a couple of weeks for primary school children across the country. Today, the Rural Eastern Division of the Police Department had a back to school initiative where almost two hundred children from all thirty-two villages in its jurisdiction received school bags and supplies. News Five’s Duane Moody reports.

Duane Moody, Reporting

A community policing initiative of the Rural Eastern Division, spearheaded by Senior Superintendent Alden Dawson and his team, saw a hundred and ninety-five students from across the jurisdiction receive much needed school bags and supplies just ahead of the start of the new school year.  The items were donated to the police by the business sector and provide a means for the department to further strengthen the bond with the community.

Alden Dawson

Sr. Supt. Alden Dawson, Regional Commander, Rural Eastern Division

“We are issuing some school supplies to the needy kids here in Belize Rural. These supplies come from many sponsors and we are grateful because it has taken us a long way. What you see here is a hundred and ninety-five school bags with books, pencils, pens and all the necessary things that the kids need to use in school. These kids were selected from the officers in the village. And in the case of Ladyville, the Community Policing Officer, who does home to home visits every day. So they get to interact with the people and realize their needs.”

For several parents, it was an opportunity for them to use the monies that would have been spent on school supplies for other needs, such as food and even uniforms for their children. Both Floreth Requeña and Payal Usher received bags for two children within their households.

Floreth Requeña

Floreth Requeña, Hattieville Resident

“It’s a good help. It’s a good help and I really appreciate it.”

Duane Moody

“Where are you in terms of getting them ready for the upcoming school year, because we know that’s just couple weeks away from the start?”

Floreth Requeña

“Well I deh half way; I deh half way. Thank God for that.”

Payal Usher

Payal Usher, Ladyville Resident

“It helps me a lot because the money I had to go and purchase a new school bag, I can keep that to buy her text books for her standard one moving on class. And it helps me a lot because I grow up poor; never had a school like what you were saying and now that my kid can get a school bag from the police station and the kids from Ladyville can get a school bag because they have a lot of poor mothers out here that can’t buy school bags for their kids. So this is something good that the station is doing for the community.”

The handing over ceremony took place today at the branch in Ladyville, but Senior Superintendent Dawson says that the other bags will be distributed to remote villages by officers.

Sr. Supt. Alden Dawson

“What you see here today is mainly kids from Ladyville, but the bags will be distributed to all thirty-two villages that we have. In some cases the kids were not able to make it because of financial constraints because of the distance, but the officers will be taking bags to the villages in cases where they cannot make it.”

Duane Moody for News Five.