Who We Are

The SHE for BELIZE foundation was started by Mrs. Kim Simplis Barrow in 2014. Mrs.  Simplis Barrow, the spouse of the Prime Minister of Belize, was appointed as Belize’s Special Envoy for Women and Children in 2008. In that same year, she became the first Belizean to be designated as a Global Ambassador by Special Olympics International. Mrs. Simplis Barrow has, however, been working on behalf of children long before those titles and is the Founder and Director of one of Belize’s most acclaimed NGOs, the Lifeline Foundation.

As Special Envoy for Women and Children she is has spearheaded two major projects: the establishment of the Inspiration Centre, which now provides medical care, physical and speech therapy, social work services and community based rehabilitation to children with disabilities and the Pediatric Intensive Care Unit, being built at the Karl Heusner Memorial Hospital.

Mrs. Simplis Barrow works tirelessly and passionately as a community activist, advocating for the rights of not only children, but also women. Her focus on Belizean women was intensified in March 2014, when the Office of the Special Envoy and the National Women’s Commission joined forces and launched the National Women’s Empowerment Rally, 20,000 STRONG! In honor and celebration of women, the rally provided an avenue for Belize’s women to congregate and give impetus to a movement towards women being more vocal about issues of national concern; to stimulate the minds of Belizean women, young and old and encourage them to reach for better and strive for proper representation at the highest levels of the country’s governance. From the 20,000 STRONG Rally sprung a year-long campaign featuring  a series of events and opportunities to build more awareness about the need to have women participation and leadership at every level of the society. This campaign set the groundwork for the SHE for BELIZE Foundation which plays an integral role in making these goals a reality.