New Dorothy Menzies Child Care Centre Opened in Belmopan

Today marked the grand opening of the new Dorothy Menzies Child Care Centre in the Maya Mopan area. This impressive facility, which replaces the former Dorothy Menzies Children’s Home in Belize City, comes with a price tag of $2.1 million. The children here will now enjoy spacious amenities that were previously unavailable, including an open activity area a playground. News Five’s Marion Ali was on the scene to capture the event.

 

Marion Ali, Reporting

This brand-new, bright yellow building, known as the Dorothy Menzies Child Care Center, in the Maya Mopan area of Belmopan, is now home to Belize’s most vulnerable victims of abuse. Named after Dorothy Menzies, a dedicated member of the first Board of Directors, the facility honors her tireless efforts and passion for supporting abused and neglected children since the original children’s home opened in Belize City.

 

Dolores Balderamos-Garcia, Minister of Human Development

“Some of the stories of what happens sometimes to our children is absolutely heart wrenching; the type of neglect, the type of sexual abuse, the type of difficulties of discrimination because of special needs or any kind of handicap. Some of these stories are heart wrenching, You can’t even sleep at night sometimes. It is important for us as a country to have a facility supported by the staff who can really dedicate themselves to some of us who are most in need – some of these children who have been through so much.”

 

Minister of Human Development, Dolores Balderamos-Garcia, emphasized the need to move away from the cramped and unsuitable building in Belize City. The new center, which opens its doors to seventy-one children, offers a much-needed upgrade. Back in the early nineties, Dorothy Menzies worked tirelessly on a shoestring budget provided by the government, dedicating nearly three decades to healing emotionally and physically wounded children. Now ninety-two and unable to leave her home, Dorothy’s legacy lives on through her daughter, Kay, who shared stories of her mother’s unwavering commitment and the remarkable successes the facility has achieved over the years.

 

Kay Menzies, Daughter of Dorothy Menzies

“The institution was always there. It is government-owned, and my mother was asked to serve as the chairman of the board I’d say in the early nineties and jumped in with a dedication that you don’t see very often. Her motivation was always the children. Her view was: If you don’t address the children of society and bring them up in the best way possible and take care of them, you’ve failed society because we have no future to go to. She took that very seriously up until Healthwise she couldn’t anymore. I’ve spent a lot of years hearing stories around the dinner table and trying to help in anyway we could, but it was mom’s passion.”

 

Menzies says that there have been quite a few success stories coming out of the children’s home, and many of these people are now upstanding members of society.

 

Kay Menzies

“I’ve met young professionals who are employed at companies like B.T.L.; officers making good progress within the Police Department, people from all walks of life but young professionals doing well and proud to say that they were in the centre and that the centre was part of their success stories. And I wish that at some level they would come out and say this is how you can be, having gone through a process ike the centre.”

 

Prime Minister John Briceño emphasized that the government prioritized creating a nurturing environment for children, one that would help them heal and recover from their past experiences. The goal is to rehabilitate these children so they can re-enter society and eventually move in with loving families.

 

Prime Minister John Briceño

“We need to set a place where they can feel loved, they can feel safe and we can try to fix them because many of them have been mentally abused, physically abused. So having a special centre with all the amenities, we’re hoping that we can fix them. Kay Menzies mentioned that she has seen boys and girls, young men and women professionals who have been at the centre and who have managed to do something with their lives. We want to offer hope to these children. The centre in Belize City got too small and they felt that we need to find somewhere bigger. This is only a portion of the land. This is two and a half acres so there’s a lot more land for expansion to be able to provide a basketball court, volleyball court, things for the kids to live happy and productive childhoods.”

 

Kay Menzies confidently shared that the opening of this beautiful and welcoming space for Belize’s most traumatized and neglected children is bound to bring a smile to her mom’s face.

 

Kay Menzies

“I think it puts a smile on her face, even though she can’t be directly involved anymore. It’s dear to her heart, it’s always a part of who she is and who she has been. I wish I could bring her here today but hearing how the centre has progressed and hearing where its going now, I think she will be pleased when I give her the update.”

 

The center is located on a plot of land donated by RECONDEV. Marion Ali for News Five.