Rotaract donates to Belmopan home
It got its name from the late Dr. Marla Holder, one of the founders of this home for children in need of protection. Today, News 5’s Janelle Chanona was in Belmopan as the kids got a helping hand.
Janelle Chanona, Reporting
Since it was established in 1997 hundreds of Belizean children have found safety from physical, sexual and mental abuse at Marla’s House of Hope in Belmopan.
Yolanda August, Board of Dirs., Marla’s House of Hope
“Recently we have had children who have been here longer than three months because it is not possible either for them to go back, and the Ministry of Human Development is really short-staffed. So you find you have a lot of kids who, they are not able to continue the investigation or for some reason or the other, they are not able to be replaced back because the environment for them to go back is not feasible for them or they may not been able to get foster parent or no relative is available to take the kids.”
The situation has put a strain on the facility’s finances.
Yolanda August
“We have help from the community, like the Mennonite community gives us chickens. We have had other people who have donated meat, beans, different things, food stuffs which keeps us going. The problem is that when we have more children, we have to look at more staff and we have to find more money to pay them.”
Today, the children’s home got a welcome donation from the San Ignacio Rotaract Club in the amount of six thousand dollars.
Najib Juan, Community Service Director, Rotaract
“We hope that it is directly used with the children here. It was raised by a conference held here in Belize this year. It is a conference that goes through Central America and we had the privilege of hosting it this year. The club agreed that the proceeds this year of that conference would go to NOPCA and Marla’s House of Hope.”
Yolanda August
“We need fifteen thousand at least to meet the funding that the British High is putting up for us for the new home for the children. That is our responsibility, so quite possible, a portion of this may go toward that.”
Najib Juan
“The way how it works is that different groups would write us in the community and ask us for donations, for help, whatever we can. Then it is our committee, the community service committee to go over the request and we see if we think we could do it.”
Reporting for News 5, I am Janelle Chanona.
This is the second time Rotaract San Ignacio has donated to Marla’s House of Hope. The club will be hosting fundraising activities this Friday and Saturday at Hode’s Place to support their community projects. Everyone is invited to attend.
