The Restore Belize Program announced on Tuesday August 31st that the first Community Safe Zone has been established in Belize City. Program Manager Mary Vasquez explained that the first phase of the program is already in effect. Since two weeks ago, the Ministry of Works has been involved in cleaning up the area which is defined by boundaries as follows: Central American Boulevard between Faber’s Road and Neal’s Penn Road and extending into the sea.
Work crews moved into the area to clean drains, cut overgrown lots as well as do painting on St. John’s Vianney School as well as Excelsior High. Additionally, derelict vehicles will be removed from the area. While the physical upliftment of the area has already begun, social interventions are also planned. Vasquez says that will be done as soon as a survey is conducted of the close to 350 to 400 homes that are located in the area. That survey is expected to be completed within the next five to ten days and will look at individual family profiles. It will be implemented through the Ministry of Education and Human Development. Continuing on the social aspect of the area, Vasquez says they are taking referrals for persons who are unable to send their children to school because of financial constraints.
The issue of children being out of school, says Vasquez, is a major contributing factor for a high rate of crime. To alleviate the problem, social assistance will be given to households to increase school attendance. Added to that, there will be the implementation of afterschool programs with the assistance of high school students as well as other volunteers.
Other aspects of the Safe Zone will include an increase in security measures put in place as well as the possibility of the implementation of an Urban Agricultural Project. The project will be headed by the Ministry of Agriculture but will be implemented through the Restore Belize Program. The idea is to encourage people to do home gardening with a view to make it a commercial venture. While the entire program has not yet been worked out, one possibility will include using existing house lots which are not currently occupied. Vasquez says the Agricultural program will be targeting some 300 households, but she does not anticipate that in the early stages the program will attract as many persons to be interested in it.
While the Safe Zone has been demarcated and intervention programs already established, Vasquez says that the endeavor will be a lengthy one. She says that “the problem is of several generations in the making,” and as such will take time to address. “We cannot expect the killings to stop overnight,” she added. And while that may be so, Vasquez did express hope that the program will have an impact and the first Safe Zone will be something like a pilot project where effective intervention measures will be tested and thereafter spread to other areas across Belize City.
