By EARYEL BOWLEG

ebowleg@tribunemedia.net

PATRICIA Minnis, the wife of Prime Minister Dr Hubert Minnis, helped to raise funds for the funeral of the murdered teen Kenrika Martin.

Mrs. Minnis told The Tribune on Friday that Martin’s mother asked for assistance to pay for the funeral on Saturday, December 20. At the time, they were short of $1,500.

She added: “I was calling around to various women’s groups and various friends and families to help her bury her daughter on Saturday. There’s a little shortfall up to yesterday (Thursday).”

“I’ve been fully supporting Ms. Lightbourne (Kenrika’s mother) and her family because there are some issues that if we help to resolve those issues within the family we can help these young girls who sometimes move away from the family because of the issue in the family.”

She said that she would attend the funeral if she is not travelling on that day.

The teen’s body was found at Stokes Cabana last month and in December the body of another Nassau Village resident Cleo Lockart, mother of six, was discovered.

Mrs. Minnis called Nassau Village a “vulnerable community” and she is working with Kenrika Martin’s mother to have a mentor group in the area.

“In the New Year, we’ll get in there and try to work with young women in there along with the churches and some other groups that are already in there working to get together. All of that community of young women and young mothers so that we can work on what is the change that is needed,” she said.

Mrs. Minnis planned to contact the family of Cleo Lockart.