Yolanda Welch was born in Belize City to Hugh and Ann Welch, devout Christians who served in various church ministries during much of their lives. She began her working career in 1979 as a preschool teacher and subsequently moved on to serve in various capacities in the school system including teaching and counselling at the elementary and high school levels. She felt strongly called to begin counselling students on a full time basis in 1991 and thereafter devoted much of her time to such efforts. In 1995, she pursued studies in counselling at the University of the West Indies and then became a full-time Counsellor at a City High School. Ms. Welch also pursued studies at the University of Belize, which awarded her a Bachelor’s degree in Social Work in 2011. She holds several certificates in counselling and has 25 years of experience working as a Counsellor, facilitating workshops for staff of schools and private organizations and coordinating numerous other educational awareness programs for high school youth.
Her life has been built on the foundational principles of Matthew 25:40: ‘whatever you did for one of the least of these brothers and sisters of mine, you did for me’. One of her goals is to enable people to function at a high level, fulfilling their greatest potential. Noting the uniqueness of each person, she has found that the very real desire of many to be authentic and accepted has been frustrated by unhealed emotions and painful life experiences. Her goal and that of Rapha Hope Center is to bring freedom from such emotional traps and bondages.
