Ben and Alicia Dewbury
The Dewbury’s are a family committed to serving the vulnerable and at-risk children of Belize primarily through foster care and family preservation. Our household has four biological children (2 now at college in Canada) and five other children who joined our family through foster care. Throughout their years in Belize, they have had more than 60 children through their homes from various backgrounds for various lengths of time.
In foster care, they are closed to any additional long-term placements/adoptions but have kept their home open for children who are trafficked and short-term emergency placements. In addition, they have a relationship with the local government, where they assist as requested in recruitment and placement recommendations. Finally, they support and encourage local placements, including facilitating training, family events, support groups, and engaging other families in the network in practical, spiritual, emotional, and physical needs.
The Dewbury’s seek to support family preservation through a vision they began a few years ago of job creation. First, they started a not-for-profit business as a ministry with two arms. The production center is called The Village Cooperative, where the ladies make bread, treats, and frozen meals. More recently, they expanded to create a delivery arm called The Mobile Market, which partners with more than 23 other micro-businesses to advertise and deliver their products nationwide in a cooperative relationship. They believe that the absence of meaningful employment is one of the leading physical breakdowns of families. In turn, through meaningful work, they see their friends and coworkers strengthened; building confidence and belief, developing skills and relationships. Then, very slowly and excitedly, they see generational patterns shift and faith developed or restored.