Following the spread of a video on social media and local news outlets regarding an incident in San Nicolas, the Director of the Berthel Foundation, Ms. Irena Gomes, spoke out to clarify the event, express her deep regret over the lack of journalistic investigation, and denounce the attempt to discredit the foundation’s work.
Ms. Irena Gomes, who returned to Aruba after performing the same social care work in the Netherlands, has dedicated over 9 years of her life to caring for and guiding vulnerable people in need. She collaborates with various social, guidance, and support organizations for asylum seekers and homeless individuals.
Regrettably, a person present recorded this intervention without understanding the context. The video was published on Facebook and subsequently circulated by local outlets without first seeking the foundation’s side of the story or investigating the truth.
“I emphasize 24ora because they didn’t come to ask me anything. Why didn’t they approach me and say: ‘Ma’am, we received a complaint, we want to talk to you’? It’s easy to take anything and put it on the news—something that isn’t true,” Ms. Gomes expressed with pain.
This sensationalist coverage caused a heavy impact not only within the community, but also on Ms. Gomes’s personal life. Her own children in the Netherlands saw the posts and called her worried and crying.
“My children in the Netherlands call me crying and asking what happened. They say: ‘Mom went to Aruba to do good for people, and look at how they treat her.’ I find this very regrettable,” Ms. Gomes shared.
Despite this ordeal, Ms. Gomes reiterates that the mission of the Berthel Foundation is based on love, protection, and giving opportunities to those who need them most. Every afternoon, the foundation offers a safe space for its clients, sharing words of faith, organizing activities such as playing dominoes, and preparing special meals for those living on the streets, especially during the holiday seasons.
“Everyone has the right to a second chance. While many of us are at home eating with our children, we forget that there are people on the street who have nothing. That is the work we do every year with so much love,” she emphasized.
Finally, the Director of the Berthel Foundation made a strong appeal to stop the stigma and abuse against homeless individuals, who are often contemptuously referred to as “choller.”
Ms. Gomes denounced that local neighbors and people in the area often give these individuals alcohol, drugs, or money, provoking them to come and cause havoc at the foundation:
“They use these vulnerable individuals who have problems to cause trouble in here so the place gets shut down. That’s what I believe they want to achieve. But I find it very regrettable that instead of helping them, they provoke them and give them things, only to judge them afterward,” Ms. Gomes concluded.