FIFA bans Belize over government interference

(Reuters) - FIFA has suspended Belize from international soccer with immediate effect because of "severe government interference."

World soccer'0s governing body said in a statement on Friday that its emergency committee had issued the ban.

It means the return leg of Belize's World Cup qualifier against Montserrat, scheduled for Sunday, has been postponed.

Belize beat Montserrat 5-2 on Wednesday in the opening game of qualifying for the 2014 World Cup in Brazil.

FIFA had warned sanctions could be on the way after the government said they no longer recognized the Belize Football Federation (FFB) or the national team...MORE

Honorable Manuel Heredia donates to two San Pedro Institutions

On Thursday June 16^th, Honorable Manuel Heredia Jr., Minister of Tourism, Culture and Civil Aviation made two presentations of donations.

The first was in the form of cheque in the amount of $10,000.00, which was presented to the Marco Gonzalez Committee. This donation was accepted by Ms. Jan Brown, Chair for the Marco Gonzalez Archeological Site.

The second donation was in the form of Hygiene Products to the worth of approximately $3,500.00. The products are all from the Kimberly Clark Line.

(Read more in our next issue of The San Pedro Sun)

NDACC reaches out to San Pedro’s addicts

The National Drug Abuse Control Council (NDACC) now offers service to residents of San Pedro. While the service is offered sporadically, once or twice a month, it is yet another source of assistance for individuals at risk or suffering from drug abuse.

The San Pedro Sun spoke with Kristina Romero, drug educator for San Pedro and Caye Caulker. She informed us that the NDACC is an office under the Ministry of Health and deals with drug prevention education. “We have two units, we have the schools and community program, and that is the one that I fall under, as a drug educator. As part of my duties I go into schools to teach about the harmful effect of drug use, abuse or misuse of prescription drugs as well as legal and illegal drugs.”

While there is not a permanent office at the moment, Kristina visits the island once or twice a month for one to two weeks at a time. Apart from providing educational services to the schools, Kristina works hand in hand with their outreach case worker Joyce Ellis. Once an individual is identified as having a drug problem, that individual is referred to Joyce, who works closely with the addict and families in locating good rehab centers for them.

In San Pedro the officers work out of the San Pedro Town Council building, in a shared office with the Human Development Officer. There are plans in the near future to have a fully functional office here in San Pedro that will work with clients from both San Pedro and Caye Caulker.
Services offered by the office are completely free of cost and available to everyone. In Belize City, the office of the NDACC is located at #25 Amara Avenue and may be reached at 227-0528. While in San Pedro, Kristina may be contacted by dialing 607-0029.