Social Investment Fund donates to community policing program
The Social Investment Fund handed over a donation valued just under ten thousand dollars to the Police Department today. And it was not the usual, the gift comprised of sewing and arts and craft equipment and materials. That’s because the Yabra Community Police Center is starting a new initiative, offering training in sewing and crafts that hopefully would have financial benefits for the participants. The area targeted in the training are the crime hot spots, Yarborough and Kraal Road. Police Youth Program Coordinator, Douglas Hyde, hopes the new program will make a difference for both males and females in those communities. Hyde says the program is twofold—firstly, in basic sewing and then on entrepreneurship.
Douglas Hyde
Douglas Hyde, Youth Program Coordinator, Police Department
“This has been something that we greatly appreciate. Through the police department, it’s something we’ve been discussing since late last year with SIF. We submitted a proposal and we’re looking at different community development programs and activities that we can do from here and also within the national body of the Police Department. So SIF immediately looked at this specific program, the sewing program and saw ways that they could have assisted us with these materials and these equipments that we could have kicked off. This program, we’re planning to kick off in the next couple of weeks. We have already identified personnel and participants who would want to be a part of the program. We’re going to have two focuses. We’re going to have training in basic sewing and then later on, we’re going to look at the aspect of entrepreneurship with the participants after they complete the full training.”
Delahnie Bain
“Who are these participants?”
Douglas Hyde
“The participants are going to be persons first from Belize City area, south side. Right now we will be focusing on the Yarborough and Kraal Road areas because these are persons who we have already spoken to with the intention of extending the training to all the different areas within Belize City.”
Sandra Grant, Field Officer for Central Region, SIF
“Right now we’re trying to assist the Yabra Community Policing with some equipment that will help them to build a better relationship with the community. So we realize that they need some activities and in order for them to carry out those activities they need equipment. This is the first set that will be used and we’re looking at another program that we’ll be giving them more in other areas for the young men to have activities in the community.”
Persons wishing to participate can sign up at the Yabra Community Policing Drop-in Center.
