A benevolent fund for children traumatised by gang violence must embrace the families of shooters as well as their victims, according to community activist Gina Spence.

Optimistic that her charity is close to creating the fund for 37 children whose lives have been scarred by shootings, Ms Spence said she’s conscious of the need to include both sides.

“We need it to be sound and sustainable, because 37 children are going to grow up quickly,” she said. “When we talk to donors, we have 37 reasons to persuade them. But the flip side is that there have been convictions.

“We have discovered that some of the offenders have children who are victims as well.”

The founder of the charity Gina Spence Productions in Christ has personal experience of the pain caused by the Island’s ongoing cycle of gang violence.

The March 2010 murder of her nephew James (Junior) Lawes remains unsolved.

Police believe Mr Lawes, 26, was the unintended victim of a drive-by shooting in which two other men were hit and injured.

For Ms Spence, this Christmas represents the one-year mark of her shocking encounter with a young woman who told her: “Someone very close to me was involved in the shooting of your nephew.”

Ms Spence said the woman had been “too ashamed to look me in the face”.

“That opened us up to a new area, because we were so concerned with helping the victims’ children,” she said.

With the help of Family Centre and the Employee Assistance Programme, Ms Spence said, the woman who approached her has been able to receive counselling, along with her young daughter.

However, a benevolent fund devoted to the education and development of children hurt by violence will be key in arresting the cycle of violence, she said.

“Every day, those children get older. They get close to the point where they will want to know who killed their fathers.

“If they don’t receive something to help them cope with it, then they’re likely to proceed on the illegitimate reasoning based on the fact of their parent being killed.”

The last gun murder victim, Jonathan Dill, was shot dead on September 2 of this year, and Ms Spence said his young daughter has brought her charity’s complement of cases to 37.

The group has a team of people trained courtesy of EAP executive director Doris DeCosta, who meet with the families and children of gun victims to advise them and offer support.

“We want to have a fund earmarked to help with their education — not because they’re straight-A students but because they’re victims,” Ms Spence said.

“It looks like we’re going to be able to make it happen. We’ve got one person in particular who is very interested, and we thank God for the community, the business community and individuals who help us.

“Because we’re a registered charity, we are able to get resources and act as a bridge to bring those to the families. We’re not experts, but we know how to get to the experts.”