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A beloved special education institution in Antigua and Barbuda is issuing a desperate plea for public assistance, after months of repeated break-ins, thefts and intentional vandalism have left the school community shaken and desperate for intervention.

Victory Centre School, which serves children with special educational needs, has faced an unrelenting string of criminal incidents over the past year that have undermined every effort the school has made to rebuild and protect its learning environment. The trouble began last year, when thieves stole critical daily essentials including an air conditioning unit and a microwave from the campus. Generous public donations and the school’s limited operating savings allowed administrators to replace the stolen goods — but within just seven days, the replacement items were also stolen by intruders.

Following these losses, stakeholders including local fundraising groups, parents of enrolled students, the Government of Antigua and Barbuda, and private sector businesses stepped forward to support the school. With their collective backing, Victory Centre upgraded its campus security, installing closed-circuit cameras and reinforced burglar bars across vulnerable access points. Despite these costly upgrades, criminal incursions onto the campus have continued.

Most recently, the senseless damage has struck a project that held particular meaning for Victory Centre’s students. Just yesterday, the school celebrated the formal handover of its new student-led hydroponics initiative, a milestone months in the making that gave learners the chance to build hands-on skills growing fresh produce. For the students involved, the project represented far more than growing vegetables: it was an opportunity to build confidence, practice collaborative work, and develop practical independent living skills, with plans to use proceeds from harvested crops to fund group social enrichment activities.

But in a devastating turn of events, security cameras at the school captured an intruder — believed to be linked to the earlier break-in and theft incidents — on campus early this morning, shortly after 6 a.m. Footage shows the individual pulling up fully grown but still premature lettuce plants, destroying the crop before students could harvest it.

Administrators at the school say this latest act has been particularly disheartening for the school community. “To an outside person, these small items and young crops may seem trivial, but to our students, they are everything,” the appeal notes. “They represent the chance to build new practical skills, grow confidence, work toward independence, and experience the joy of earning their own opportunities. Our students were so excited to harvest their hard work, and now that moment has been stolen from them.”

In the appeal, school leaders first issued a direct call to the people responsible for the string of incidents: “Please stop these attacks and leave our school and our students alone.” They are now turning to the wider public for help to put an end to the damage.

Authorities have released security footage showing the suspected individual, who has been seen on campus multiple times occasionally accompanied by other unknown people. Anyone who recognizes the person in the recordings, or who has any information that could help police with their ongoing investigation, is asked to contact their nearest local police station immediately. School leaders are urging members of the public not to confront any suspected intruders directly, to avoid putting themselves at risk.

Victory Centre leaders are also asking community members to share the appeal widely to spread awareness of the school’s crisis. “Victory Centre is far more than just a school,” the appeal emphasizes. “It is a safe space for learning, inclusion, personal growth, and life-changing opportunity for our special needs students. They deserve to learn in a safe, secure environment, and they deserve better than this repeated harm.”

The school extended its gratitude to all the individuals and organizations that have supported the community through donations, fundraising, advocacy, and acts of kindness to date. “Your support means more than any words can say,” administrators said. “Now we are asking for one more push: help us protect our students, help us end these incidents, and help us protect their future.”

On a mid-October Wednesday, a crowd of demonstrators assembled outside the headquarters of the Antigua Public Utilities Authority (APUA) to amplify widespread public anger over soaring utility costs and subpar service delivery across the twin-island nation of Antigua and Barbuda.

Organizer Franz De Freitas addressed the gathering during a live-streamed broadcast of the October 14 protest, laying out the core grievances driving citizens to take to the streets. According to De Freitas, residents across the country are growing increasingly frustrated by steadily climbing electricity and water tariffs, frequent unplanned power outages, and persistent irregularities in municipal water access. He added that a large share of consumers are even unable to parse the confusing billing statements they receive from APUA, with the only clear detail being consistent, ongoing hikes in total charges month after month.

De Freitas issued a direct call to action for both APUA leadership and the national government to step in and urgently address runaway utility costs, noting that households are already grappling with broad economic strain and urgently need financial relief. He also publicly criticized the administration for failing to introduce targeted subsidies that would ease the burden of rising utility prices on low- and middle-income families.

Notably, De Freitas did not share specific individual bill figures, documented rate adjustment data, or quantitative analysis to back up his claims of sustained increases during the live protest address. Protesters in attendance carried hand-painted placards highlighting their unmet demands, pressing APUA officials to open dialogue and deliver tangible solutions to the issues raised.

De Freitas emphasized that the demonstration was never intended to draw a massive crowd; instead, its core goal was to empower ordinary citizens to voice their dissatisfaction with public services, regardless of turnout size. “Today is not about massive numbers, just about citizens standing up and saying that enough is enough,” he told attendees.

Looking ahead, De Freitas announced that the grassroots campaign will expand beyond utility reform to tackle a wide range of unaddressed public concerns, including deteriorating road conditions, gaps in access to health care, underfunded education systems, and struggles within the national agricultural sector. “Nothing will happen unless the people in this country decide that they are going to do something about it,” he said, confirming that additional protest actions are already in planning stages.

To build momentum for the movement, De Freitas confirmed that organizers will circulate photographs and video footage from Wednesday’s picket across social platforms and local community networks. The content is intended to raise broader public awareness of the issues and encourage more Antiguan residents to join future demonstrations.