Little Savers Devastated After Weekend Break-In at Ladyville School

At Ladyville Evangelical Primary School, young students are grappling with a loss that goes far beyond stolen cash. Over the weekend, burglars broke in, tearing through classrooms and leaving behind a trail of damage, but for one group in particular, the impact cuts especially deep. Inside the Infant Two Miller classroom, thieves didn’t just take belongings; they wiped out months of hard work, savings, and anticipation. For these little ones, every coin mattered, earned through discipline and sacrifice, all leading up to something they had been excitedly working toward. By Monday morning, that excitement had been replaced with confusion and devastation. Parents and teachers now face the difficult task of explaining how something like this could happen, while trying to rebuild not just what was lost, but the children’s sense of security. News Five’s Shane Williams takes us inside the classroom where the smallest victims are feeling the biggest blow.

 

Shane Williams, Reporting

Infant Two students at Ladyville Evangelical Primary School came face-to-face today with something no child should have to understand: loss. Not just of money, but of trust and security. When staff responded to a call at the school on Sunday, it didn’t take long to see something was wrong. Classrooms had been broken into, belongings scattered, and for these little learners, the damage hit far deeper than anything that can be easily replaced. Classrooms had been broken into. Desks were disturbed. Supplies scattered. But inside the Infant Two Miller classroom, the damage became especially painful. In one corner, dozens of piggy banks lay shattered, smashed open and emptied. These weren’t just toys. The children made them by hand, using them to save and learn about money, lesson by lesson, coin by coin.

 

Elia Chi, Principal, Ladyville Evangelical Primary School

“The children had piggy banks as part of the financial literacy. And from January, they have been saving their coins and at the end of the school year, which is June, they were going to open the piggy banks and find out what was there, the amount and do something out of it. And it was really hard, and she told me that she didn’t have any words how to express this situation to her infant two students. So I was the one that wrote a text message for her to please share with the class WhatsApp. And this morning, all of everybody here is sad.”

 

Since January, the students had been slowly filling them with coins and small savings, learning the value of patience, discipline, and responsibility. The plan was simple, wait until the end of June, then break open the piggy banks together and celebrate months of saving and hard work. But that moment was stolen. Principal Elia Chi says having to explain what happened, to both parents and students, was nothing short of gut-wrenching.

 

Elia Chi

“Like  today we can’t function. Our mind is right there in what had happened. In particular because it’s our infant students. We’re teaching them how to save money and now just imagine how to explain to them that the money is not there. Because of someone, the money is lost. So we don’t want the children to change the mentality of saving. We want them to continue saving so that at the end of the year they can have something out of it.”

 

Amid the disappointment, the community has already begun stepping forward to help rebuild what was lost. Peacework Belize founder Dr. Carol Babb, who has been promoting financial literacy in Belizean schools, has agreed to replace piggy banks for all twenty-eight students affected. Alobi Young of the Belize Taiwan Alumni Society says help is already on the way, with efforts underway to raise funds and help the children start saving again. As police continue their search for those responsible, the outpouring of support is a powerful reminder, while one cruel act can take a lot, community and kindness can still teach the greater lesson. Shane Williams for News Five.

 

Attention readers: This online newscast is a direct transcript of our evening television broadcast. When speakers use Kriol, we have carefully rendered their words using a standard spelling system.

 

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