On The Bright Side of Philanthropy: Dara Robinson

It’s the last weeks of school. Another school year engulfed in the chaos of COVID. Students will wind down in the few weeks granted to enjoy what is an altered version of summer break, while teachers will prepare for the new school year. The clock is ticking and for one person the children and school system rely on, summer is a critical period of preparation. In this week’s look on the Bright Side, Sabreena travelled to the rural north to meet a well-known champion of child hunger.

Sabreena Daly, Reporting

His work of altruism dates back to the early 2,000s. Good Samaritan, humanitarian, philanthropist, a man for others, or however you identify him, the benevolent Joel Dara Robinson, has made his mark through his efforts in feeding the needy. He was presented the Spirit of Obuntu Award for the means in which he fundraised for his program –tributes to reggae legends. He hosted food drives and even cycling events to “ride for hunger”. In 2011 he was named an Unsung Hero by the former First Caribbean Bank.

Kwame Scott

Kwame Scott, Member of Dara Feeding Program

“Dara was always this guy who wanted to help people and I was always wondering why a guy with no job, he was a football referee at the time, wanted to help people. He has such a passion about feeding kids and then I later learned that he is an experience victim of such and he feels passionate about it. He knows what it feels like to go to school hungry.”

But behind the accolades, to run the Dara Feeding Program, there needs to be… food

Joel Dara Robinson

Joel Dara Robinson, Dara Feeding Program

“Well right now basically I have chicken, ducks, Ginny hen, turkey. I gone into sheep. I want go into some pig. I even the raise rabbit cause ah heard rabbit meat healthy. Back deh ah dih raise 250 layers weh ah wah put pan di market directly, egg at a better price that people could support my egg. And then after the chicken they ready foh get through the laying, we wah turn stewing hen and we wah use the chicken them for the feeding program.”

The idea, says Ras Dara, is to have the feeding program sustain itself. On a travel to the Rural North of the Belize District, we met Dara at his recently established farm in Hill Bank Village. It started three years ago as a way to past the time during the pandemic, but Dara realized he may have stumbled on the golden ticket to save his feeding program.

Joel Dara Robinson, Dara Feeding Program

“Everything I do, I put my all because I noh like fail. I put my all, then if ihnoh work, ihnoh work. And I think, if yuh come do this and yuh really want do it, yuh wa see the end ah it. I dih struggle with it, but I di see already weh if this grow, money could come outa it and this could sustain me better than wa concert or wa ride.”

Dara’s feeding program has served as many as fifty students from nearby schools in his community. For many, he is the one sure meal a student will get and a reason to attend school to eat.

Joel Dara Robinson, Dara Feeding Program
“I see the importance ah that program because piknie come deh enough time with gas pain. They can’t even eat. You have to go and get the Alka-Seltzer plus, something foh mek they bring up that gas. We got lotta horror story weh I nohseh because yuh noh want. Yes, sometimes ih good fohseh they thing but wah lotta things happen. I myself da mihwah victim a dih very same thing I dih fight fah. Noh everyday wihgoh dah school hungry, but most ah dih time we used to goh da school and noh have lunch and then teachers will ask like what you have fih lunch and many times fomek I does fit in and noh get tease, yuh just mek up wah food fih just fit in when nuff time, we nuh eat. Da my life story and I find out that ina then days and time now, kids still dihgoh through that. Soh, I just champion it and I seh I noh want talk and I wah do something bout it and I been championing it for 13 years.”

Close friend to Dara and supporter of the feeding program, Kwame Scott has been a part of the movement since its inception.

Kwame Scott, Member of Dara Feeding Program
“The Bob Marley Tribute started before the feeding program. Dara was always this guy who wanted to help people and I was always wondering why a guy with no job, he was a football referee at the time, wanted to help people. He had a passion about feeding kids and then I later learned that he is an experience victim of such and he feels passionate about it. He knows what it feels like to go to school hungry. It has always been, since I’m on the ground, that after an event most of the time we have a sustained surplus that lasts for a month, six weeks. After that, everyone forgets about Dara until the next event basically. The donations stop coming in and then I have been a recipient of calls on a Sunday, “bwai, we noh have much more chicken left, the rice dih done. I noh know if we could mek it through this week. Mekwih see what wih could do. Mekwih see who we could ask. Bear in mind also, Dara has a family to feed. So not being able to sustain, sometimes its stressful but I always tell Dara I admire him because although I’ve been at his right and left hand, I go home. He lives at a yard where people come to the gate looking for food times of the day, times of the night.”

Dara is gearing up for his yearly fundraisers but acknowledges that his age is making it harder to maintain the same energy he once had.

Joel Dara Robinson, Dara Feeding Program
“This bigga than me. Like ah seh, I willing any day fo work with the government, work with anybody weh want but I reach a age now weh I just want manage that because ah noh got the same energy. But I wah look out fo them kids because I already promise them ‘til ah shet mi eye ah wa deh deh fo deh. But when you yourself dih struggle and want help, da wah tough thing. You only could help when you have the necessary fo help.”

Kwame Scott, Member of Dara Feeding Program
“Belize is a place we are also thankfully, there’s a lot of love. Sometimes you can make a phone call and get a sack of rice, two crates of chicken. It goes a hell of a long way, butane to cook the food. Sometimes when there’s a surplus of a donation, maybe someone from out in the states would give a donation, a barrel or so, Dara makes It his business to bag off the stuff and goes through the hole on the London bridge and the whatever area of the city and give to some of the most needy. So, what can I say about a guy whose heart is so big other than that may he be blessed and I will assist for as long as I can.”
Looking on the Bright Side, I’m Sabreena Daly.