LifeLine Foundation donates to HIV initiatives
You may have heard about or attended last month’s Black and White Gala and other charity events. But beyond the coats, ties, and fancy dresses those big ticket fundraisers actually do generate cash for worthy causes. Today we followed the money.
Jacqueline Godwin, Reporting
As with most estimates regarding the prevalence of HIV in Belize, we can only guess at the number of children with the virus. Whatever the count, presently Hand in Hand Ministries is providing care for over forty of these kids who are infected and affected … but it has not been easy.
Mark Thessing, Hand in Hand Ministries
“We are working everyday to ensure that they have their rights, that their full needs that are met, but it is very challenging Jackie because we have a lot of problems that surround HIV as far as the poverty and the family, as far as, you know, people not accessing jobs and things like that. So it’s very hard as far as providing a service you really want to provide.”
Just as concerned is the organisation, Alliance Against AIDS. Its Executive Director is Rodel Beltran Perera.
Rodel Beltran Perera, Executive Dir., Alliance Against AIDS
“We are observing an increase in number of clients, but not only an increase of the number of clients who are adults, but families that are accessing our services and family members are either young or adolescent and are in need of a number of things. … Where do we get support, where do we get continuous support, sustainability is something that is of great concern to us.”
Today that cry was heard as each group received a cheque in the amount of fifteen thousand dollars. The donations were given by the LifeLine Foundation, a charitable trust that was formed to assist children in need.
Denise Courtenay, Director, Lifeline Foundation
“It is mainly children who are abandoned, neglected, abused. This year our focus is on children who are living with AIDS or who are affected by AIDS. So that may be children whose parents have AIDS too.”
Mark Thessing
“And it is actually good timing because one of the things that we found is that we have a serious need of a second line of medication for our kids because some of our kids are not responding to that second line of medication that’s given. And so one of the things that we’re going to do with this money is actually buy a scooter for our social worker and also for our nurse to go out mobile into the population and make sure that our kids are taking their medication.”
Rodel Beltran Perera
“And I think that LifeLine has come at the opportune time to assist us in assisting not only the families, but the needs of those children.”
Children who are living with disabilities will also stand to benefit. Today the Parents Association for Children with Special Needs received a cheque for eight hundred and seventy five dollars. The money will be used to construct a resource centre
Hector Romero, President, PACSN
“It is going to be like a learning centre where they are going to come in, kids and teenagers who have disabilities and we’re gonna try to identify how they could be productive in our society.”
The founding director of the Lifeline Foundation is Kim Simplis.
