CHRISTINA ZETINA

On the 29th of January, 2008 Christina Zetina was the unfortunate victim of a senseless shooting incident. She was shot in the left leg and as a consequence of that gunshot wound her left leg, from a little above the knee, was amputated on the 7th of February, 2008 and she was confined to a wheel chair. After learning of this sad situation on the local news, Hand Wash Hand donated a prosthetic leg to Christina. She was taken to Orange Walk where prosthetic legs are made, measurements were taken and in May of 2008, Christina received her leg and is doing much better.
TROPICAL STORM RELIEF: ARTHUR

Hand Wash Hand organized a relief response to the disaster caused by Tropical Storm Arthur. Through donations we were able to provide household kits for twenty-five families who were victims of the subsequent flooding. Each kit contained four bath towels, a foam mattress, a set of sheets, two blankets, two pillows, two hurricane lanterns and cleaning products. In addition, we were able to deliver bread and a large amount of clothes to suit people of all ages. Members of Hand Wash Hand travelled to the affected areas to ensure the fair distribution of these kits. Fifteen kits were delivered to the NEMO operation and the remaining ten to the Dangriga Red Cross.
SPECIAL OLYMPICS DONATION

On the 3rd October, 2008 a contingent of 26 athletes, 12 chaperones and 8 coaches left the Belize Stella Maris compound en route to Managua, Nicaragua to take part in the second: “Juegos Centroamericanos para Estudiantes con Discapacidad.” Belize won a total of 19 medals in the 24 events that they participated. Hand Wash Hand is proud to have been a sponsor of this special event!
HALLOWEEN “FUN” RAISER

In the spirit of good Halloween “fun”, Hand Wash Hand members came together to host a special Halloween Costume Party with the aim of raising funds to support the organization’s projects; more specifically at the time when flood victims in the North were most at need. The fun filled event helped raise over $2000.00
HIV/AIDS BILLBOARD

HIV/AIDS is a serious and devastating problem in Belize as we are faced with having the second highest HIV/AIDS rate (per capita) in the world and awareness is crucial in helping to reduce the spread of HIV/AIDS. When members of St. John’s College Counseling Centre approached Hand Wash Hand about donating the funds for a billboard for HIV/AIDS Week, we were more than happy to provide the funding as a way to help promote HIV/AIDS awareness. As the theme states, “Take care, Be aware, AIDS is everywhere.” The billboard was designed by a member of the Counseling Centre’s BIONIC Group, Kristen Matus and painted by Kirkland Smith and Rudy Thompson from the Art Centre. Several students also helped to paint the billboard and they are Michelle Andrews, Natavia Marin, Tanisha Schmidt, Mary Ellen Ovado and Ivette Villanueva.

 

 PROJECT: “CHRISTMAS CARE PACKAGES”

Our final project for the year 2008 was our “Christmas Care Package”. One hundred (100) boxes of basic necessities were given out to needy families country wide. The Salvation Army also received food items from this project. Included in each care package: rice, beans, sugar, flour, milk, shortening, butter, cooking oil, baking powder, salt, black pepper, season all, recado, coconut milk, cheese, bun, bread, ramen soup, juices, corned beef, luncheon meat, sausages, cereal, cookies, chips, candies, toilet paper, tooth brushes, tooth paste, bath soap, shampoo, soap powder, disinfectant, bleach. The idea behind giving out the Christmas Care Packages as opposed to having a Christmas party or something of its kind was to be able to give families a supply of items that would last them a week or more depending on the size of the family. This is a Hand-Wash-Hand annual event!