This morning the Young Women’s Christian Association accepted a grant from the Japanese government. It’s for $173,000 which comes from Japan’s Human Security Grants Program. The $173,000 isn’t a king’s ransom but for the Y – it couldn’t have come at a better time. Keith Swift found out why.
Keith Swift Reporting,
It looks strong from the outside but up close you can see that the YWCA’s main building on St. Thomas Street is falling apart; walls are cracked, windows need change, and the roof needs to be replaced.
Sonia Linares, General Secretary YWCA
“The entire building needs to renovated. The columns at the bottom, the steels are exposed, there are cracks on the walls, the roof needs repairs, the windows need to be changed, it was built in 1960 and it really needs a lot of repairs.”
And that’s just what the 50-year-old building will get – thanks to a $173,000 grant from the Japanese government. Tetsuya Yoshimoto from the Japanese Embassy in Jamaica signed over the grant to the Y at a ceremony this morning.
Tetsuya Yoshimoto, First Secretary – Embassy of Japan
“We think that this YWCA is doing a lot of activities in the community
so we thought that members of communities, beneficiaries, so it is really useful to make a donation to this YWCA.”
Keith Swift,
What is the amount of the grant?
Tetsuya Yoshimoto,
“173,000 Belizean dollars. That is going to be used for renovating these facilities.”
Keith Swift,
When do you expect renovation work to start?
Sonia Linares,
“Immediately. We got the money today, our steering committee will meet tomorrow and our contractor is here and we are ready to go.”
“We are working with children from two months old because of our daycare services with the pre-school and young women and women. So we have been reaching hundreds of women each year in assisting them, particularly though our young women who normally are in need of some kind of support.”
A portion of the grant will go towards renovating the Y’s basketball court. This isn’t Japan’s first contribution to the YWCA. In 1997 they approved a grant to renovate the swimming pool. In the past 11 years the Japanese government has donated 3 million dollars spread over 20 projects in Belize.
