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alexk
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Murdered school footballer Noah Simmons made a difference in his crime-riddled community before his life was snuffed out and in remembrance of him, the Marabella Family Crisis Centre has named their football field in his honour, calling it Noah’s Ark.
During a charity football match between youths of Shiva Boys College and Marabella Family Crisis Centre, held in honour of Simmons at the Mannie Ramjohn Stadium yesterday, MP for Pointea- Pierre Dr David Lee presented a cheque to Bossiere to assist in setting up the Ark.
Lee said the Ark will offer a chance to youths to improve their lives even though their community was infiltrated by criminals.
Chief Executive of the centre Terrence Bossiere said the Ark will be a haven for the youths of the Marabella Trainline who wanted to be freed of poverty and criminal elements. He said five youths currently sleep in the Centre even though it does not have proper windows or a back door.
“Football is the love for the youths. We have a ground where we need to do some work because there are stray dogs around and we always have to be cleaning up. We will fence it around. There is a homework centre there as well and we have OJT’s coming and helping the Trainline children with their homework. There are youths who face challenges and need security and safety.
We provide it. The Trainline children get school assistance from OJT students on Mondays and Wednesdays and we have seen the benefits because our children are now passing for good schools,” Bossiere said.
Saying Noah was his mentor, Bossiere said the Ark will be open to the people of the Trainline and sports will be used as a deterrent to crime.
Noah was shot dead at a cousin’s home at Marabella on May 8, the day he turned 16, by a man who warned him to stop speaking to a girl in the community. He was a star footballer at Shiva Boys College and was instrumental in the success of the school when it took home the championship title for the Under-14 team in 2016.