Let’s Help Elmar Martinez Build a New Home
Public assistance is being sought to help a husband and wife couple out of a dire situation that they are facing. Elmar Martinez is blind and unemployed and has been living in a deplorable condition. Earlier today, we followed community activist Moses Sulph into an area of Belize City to meet the couple. News Five’s Isani Cayetano has the story.
Isani Cayetano, Reporting
Elmar Martinez and his wife were homeless a few months ago when they were evicted by their former landlord. Martinez has been visually impaired for the past nine years and since going blind, has been struggling with meeting the bare necessities.
Elmar Martinez
Elmar Martinez, Belize City Resident
“This house right there that I have, it is just the same as [if] you are out here in the open because when it rains the whole house gets wet. Our bed gets wet, you know, everything for us gets wet. So I been really noh di worry much because I sih that I deh eena wahn condition that I can’t really get the help, I can’t do nothing fi myself and I talk to families and dehn noh try give me no assistance. One sister looked at me and told me, “Noh worry, ah wahn help you. I wahn sih if I could get zinc and stuff fi yoh” but dehn da noh no kind help. Dehn noh get back to me.”
Martinez’s cry was heard by Community activist Moses Sulph who is back at it again, seeking out this destitute couple in Belize City to solicit public assistance on their behalf.
Moses Sulph
Moses Sulph, Community Activist
“I did a post a couple weeks ago with his condition, when I was delivering some groceries, because he had informed me that he lived back here now and I was able to, fortunately, get someone to donate a thousand dollars in the honor of Mrs. Jinx Julie Lindo who is a Belizean-American to start the process in trying to build him a twelve-by-twelve decent house where he doesn’t have to be so close to the element or in the water. I’m asking for the Minister of Housing, the Mayor Belize City and the councilors to kindly contribute towards matching this so we can build a house within the next month for this gentleman. I have commitments from persons who are willing to do the labor, so I am asking now for the material or the money, and I am also asking the Minister of Housing. I mean there are a lot of people like this in the city and I think what the office of the city council can do is since they have ten to fifteen councilors and a mayor, I think if each councilor would donate part of their stipend, I think a thousand dollars, that would be ten. They would be able to build a house for people like these each month which would have twelve houses for the month.”
Anyone wishing to assist in this endeavor can contact Moses Sulph at phone number 667-4151 or make a cash deposit at Atlantic Bank account number 211598332. Reporting for News Five, I am Isani Cayetano.
