New York, New York--(Newsfile Corp. - May 31, 2023) - Marcella De Martin, the ambassador of Billy4Kids, recently provided great aid to the children of Ladyville Belize by supplying the Liberty Children's Home with 200 pairs of shoes to help fight the prevalence of parasitic disease.
Children from Liberty Children's Home with shoes from Billy4Kids
With almost 50% of all children in Belize living in poverty (UNICEF and The Statistics Institute of Belize, 2017), they have limited access to housing, clean clothes, education, and nutrition. They are, in turn, left more vulnerable to an array of infections, with hookworm, a soil-transmitted parasitic disease particularly prevalent. Found in contaminated soil, hookworm affects over 55% of Belize people (Aimpun and Hshieh, 2004) and can infect underprivileged children through their exposure to the dirt ground, with many not owning any form of shoes or foot protection.
Liberty Children's Home in Ladyville Belize
Marcella De Martin, the wife of Billy Lerner, is determined to help stop this health crisis. Along with her business partner, Alexson Roy and the Billy4Kids foundation, Marcella De Martin has supplied 200 pairs of canvas runners to the Liberty Children's Home in Ladyville Belize. This donation will have a huge impact on protecting the children's exposure to soil parasites and reducing the health effects of parasitic diseases, some of which include prolonged stomach pain, headaches, and digestive problems.
Children from the Liberty Children's Home receiving shoes from the Billy4Kids foundation
As the newly appointed ambassador of Billy4Kids, Marcella De Martin is determined to stop the repetitive cycle of poverty faced by the children of Belize. By supplying runners to the Liberty Children's Home and reducing their exposure to parasitic diseases, the Billy4Kids foundation and Marcella De Martin are indirectly helping children get a better education and form more trusting relationships with adults. With less exposure to parasitic diseases, the children of Liberty's are not forced to miss classes due to illness. They are offered a better opportunity to learn and heal from their difficult pasts, many of whom have experienced trafficking, prostitution, and home violence.
Marcella De Martin, wife of Billy Learner and Cofounder of Billy4Kids
The donation of 200 shoes will have an immense impact of these children's lives, improving their health, reducing school dropout, and increasing their emotional and intellectual development. With children of her own and the wife of Billy Lerner, Marcella De Martin is very passionate about the Billy4Kids foundation and will continue to work tirelessly to provide better lives for children in poverty.
Sources:
Aimpun P, Hshieh P. (2004) Survey for intestinal parasites in Belize, Central America. Southeast Asian J Trop Med Public Health.
UNICEF & The Statistics Institute of Belize. (2017) 'BELIZE Multiple Indicator Cluster Survey 2015 Key Findings August, 2016'. Available at: https://www.unicef.org/belize/sites/unicef.org.belize/files/2019-09/MICS_Belize_Booklet_v3_Childfriendly_version.pdf
Published in partnership with Billy 4 Kids Inc
Contact: Alexson Roy
Email: info@billy4kids.org https://billy4kids.org/ 1-855-472-7569
SOURCE Billy4Kids Inc.
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