Meet CitCo’s 2022 Sheroes Awardees

The program started back in 2019 and is now returning in 2022. The Belize City Council, during Women’s Month, is honouring some eleven inspiring women who have been making waves in their respective communities across the city. Today, a Sheroes Award Ceremony was held at the Radisson where the work of these women was celebrated and a two hundred and fifty dollar contribution made to a charitable organization of their choice. News Five’s Duane Moody reports.

Duane Moody, Reporting

As Women’s Month winds down, the Belize City Council today honoured a few good women across the city, who have been working with and for the people. These sheroes, as they are being dubbed, have been on the ground for decades without recognition for their hard work. Among the recipients is Grace Flowers who works with at-risk youth and gang members in the Rocky Road community.

Grace Flowers

Grace Flowers, Sheroes Awardee 2022

“I deal with the gang members them a lot and we have our own cadets and we have practice every Thursday. In my area, the Rocky Road area, it was really bad. Right now it is calm thanks to the police who put a booth in the area. And the guys dehn when dehn have problem they come to me and I help them solve the problem. They look up to me as a mother figure and they give me enough respect in my community.”

Like Flowers, Nilza Acosta is also a well-respected individual, but in the Queen Square division of the city.  She speaks of having had to work from a young age and for the past forty years trying to support not only her children but members of the community with getting assistance where she couldn’t.

Nilza Acosta

Nilza Acosta, Sheroes Awardee 2022

“I’m just an ordinary domestic worker. I didn’t go to high school. At the age of thirteen I started to work, but that inspired me that what I didn’t get for others to get. I have six kids; I try with them to be inspired and motivate them to be better in the community and to help others.”

The ten councillors and the mayor were each responsible to recommend an individual for the award.  Councillor with responsibility for Women and Children, Natasha Pipersburgh, says that the program started back in 2019, but was interrupted by the COVID-19 pandemic.

Natasha Pipersburgh

Natasha Pipersburgh, Councillor for Women & Children

“We were tasked with selecting one individual within the community that we believe has contributed in regards to women and children. We basically looked within our community and tried not to select individual that were selected back in 2019. So we were tasked with looking a little further and getting to know these individuals on a personal level as well. So many of these individuals who were selected today were individuals who in some way or form has contributed to some genre in regards to dealing with women and helping them to be more established and moulding them to be someone of society. So these women have contributed whether it is feeding the homeless, whether it is teaching women a particular trade – these were the women who were selected today.”

Also awarded today were: Julian Young-Mortis, Lula Bennett, Lorraine Henry, Sherrie Reneau, Pastor Ruth Pipersburgh, Marilyn Garvin, Carolyn Trench-Sandiford, Erica Michelle Howard and Brendalee Enriquez.  Duane Moody for News Five.