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The Yabra community Center was opened for lunch again today - after being closed for months.

Corporal Wallace Community Policing
"I had once came to tears when the shutters was down and the children they came, I mean there were more than twenty children here outside of the building, come for lunch and there was no lunch. It was heart wrenching when that had occurred."

Douglas Hyde
"Without it happening, then it's like what's happening out there for them and then we recognize that itself give volume to why some of the kids where even thinking dropping out of school."

So its return was heartily welcomed by 200 school children from six schools.

This child was so grateful he said Grace before diving in. While others were all smiles and others were too busy chomping down to even take notice of our camera.

Corporal Wallace Community Policing
"If you look on the children that are here today, there children that definitely need this program. Some of the children that are here today have not even had breakfast, so I mean the lunch itself is not enough, but we really appreciate the lunch that they are getting. We do approximately 50 pounds of rice, two crates of chicken and 25 lbs. of beans that is per day. We also compliment it with banana, orange and a cold cup of juice."

Douglas Hyde
"We feed presently over 200 kids right now, 200 kids per day from Monday to Fridays attend the feeding program and this is from 6 schools. Three within the zone and three outside the zone. And of course we estimated more or less between $3.50 to $4.00 per child and so when we calculate that up that is what we spend."

Indira Craig, and her Toys For Tots Foundation knows the figures well enough, she had started running the program after Hurricane Richard swamped the area:

Indira Craig
"we're very happy, Toys for Tots is very happy, when we walked away in October its was with a say and heavy heart because it was something that we felt was very necessary in a part in just bringing the community back to where it needed to be so. It's been six months but we are very, very pleased to know that it's been looked at and there's been funding that has allowed it to at least get a second chance at life. It's very important Jules, these kids, a lot of them really on a real time level go to school hungry every single day. There is no way you can learn, there is no way you can function if you are not eating properly and it's a small initiative in the minds of a lot of people, but it really relates to such a big thing."

That big picture became apparent to Restore Belize when it started setting up a community safe zone in the area:

Greg Nunez, Program Officer Restore Belize
"When we started our safe zone it was identified by the community it was as something they needed in the community, so that one step that we took one reason that we end up following with the feeding program and secondly it was also identified by the Dr. Gail report "The Main Social Participation" report which indicated that lack of food or hunger is one of deterrents in the school itself. The funding actually came after a proposal that was sent to Belize Telemedia Limited and they were gracious enough to actually carry through with it - the actual funding, so. Funding has been acquired for the programs so that runs all the way to June and closing of the school year."

And after June, it will be another challenge to get the program going for the New Year - but do it they must, the need and the payoff is great:

Corporal Wallace Community Policing
"I mean these children will grow up to be adults and they will look back and say you know what when I was a child and I didn't have anything to eat, It was the police station where we had gotten something to eat. And even this can turn around children life because we know for a fact that we have children stealing, they go to shops and they shoplift because they have nothing to eat here they can at least say I had lunch they don't have to steal from anybody."

The Ministry of Health will join the programme in April by supplementing it with iron and folic acid supplements. Funding form Telemedia is only secured up until the end of June. After that they have to find funding for when it resumes in October. It costs about 800 dollars a day to feed the present group of children - who are all designated by their respective school administrations as being needy. Anyone wanting to contribute can contact Restore Belize…