A year ago instead of celebrating Christmas, a Belize City family was mourning the death of their teenaged daughter. On December 22 of 2003, 16-year-old Carla Roches was found hanging from a beam in her Lake Independence home. No suicide note was left but it is believed the teen girl who was once held the crown of Miss Garifuna Belize City and danced with the Ugandani Dance Group had grown distressed and despondent with the living conditions at her grandmother's house. A year later a lot has changed, here's more.
Keith Swift Reporting,
A year after her granddaughter's suicide 74-year-old Ambrosia Rosa has moved into a new house in the Lake Independence area built with the support of the Catholic Church.
Ambrosia Rosa, Carla's Grandmother
"I thank Father Martin, Bishop Martin, for what he done for me. He has done a great thing for me which I don't know how to thank him."
But though they have left behind the house, the family hasn't left the memories of the Garifuna queen, dancer, and high school student who abruptly ended her life.
Ambrosia Rosa,
"She didn't comment on anything to me. The house that we were living in, it was not mines but it was for my sister. So I was taking care of it."
Leandro Roches Jr., Carla's Grandmother
"My little sister had certain needs and demands so that was why. She had little requirements and thing which she wanted and then she got let down. She ended getting despondent seeing the situation how things were working out with my stepmother and my dad because they weren't living up either. So all those things built up in one and she ended up having a depression and eventually she just gave up and lost on hope because it was close to Christmas. She already realized she would have had a hell of a bad Christmas so then she made the decision."
And since her death, Sebastian Cayetano and the National Garifuna Council have been working to turn Carla's tragedy around. The Nibagarina Youth Group meaning, "keep alive" was formed back in January and Cayetano says it is a support group to ensure that others learn from Carla's experience.
Sebastian Cayetano,
"The youth group, Nibagarina, is also reaching out to the children. They want to establish a brother-sister relationship with these children one to one."
Keith Swift,
Is that to ensure something like this never happens again?
Sebastian Cayetano,
"Exactly and a lot of good has come out of this and we are happy for that. We care for our youths and we wish that what happened, happened indeed but we want to avoid future happenings like this."
Keith Swift,
So the youth group is a support group?
Sebastian Cayetano,
"It is a support group and they meet every Saturday at St. Martin's Deporres Parish and they do a lot things."
The youth support group formed in Carla's memory is bringing out a calendar which will be available for sale from its members. Carla's other siblings are now staying with an older brother the parents remain distant, we are told, deeply troubled individuals.
