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<< Back to Articles & Features Belize Visting ProWorld projects in Belize Journalism in Belize Barbados Costa Rica Cuba Guatemala Jamaica Mexico Nicaragua Trinidad & Tobago |
ProWorld in Belize Back to the Floor: Belize Style Andrea Leitch writes... "I’ve got to admit, when I’m helping to organise our volunteers trips, I have been known to get a little bit jealous. I never took a gap year. I was all set to jet off and see the world but a combination of finance (or lack of), a severe phobia of flying and a long term boyfriend meant that at the last minute I headed to Sheffield University after my A levels rather than somewhere slightly more exotic. It was a decision I have always regretted. Since then I have managed to fit a bit of travel in, the usual backpacking around Europe for a few months in the summer, but I have always wanted to expand my horizons a little further, so when a chance came up for me to visit Belize to visit some of our projects I jumped at the opportunity...  The English speaking country of Belize lies west of the Caribbean Sea on the Central American isthmus. It is renowned as a peaceful country, rich with cultural diversity and stunning natural beauty. On arrival into Belize, the smell of ground corn and spice, the sound of reggae, the bright colours and the intense heat, hit you as soon as you step off the plane. The friendliness of the local people is the next striking thing. Everybody will stop to chat to you. As someone who never stops talking, I loved it! Despite the amazing people and rich culture, close to a third of the population of Belize, a blend of Maya, Mesito, Creole, Mennonitte and Garifuna, live below the poverty line. In addition to this, factors such as limited education, inadequate health services and restricted job opportunities ensure that Belizeans are constantly constrained by many of the challenges of a developing nation. ProWorld opened its first Belizean site in 2002. Based in Hopkins Village, ProBelize wanted to empower local communities in three main areas including Health Care, Social and Economic Empowerment and Conservation and Environmental Protection. The success of ProBelize was such that ProWorld was able to open a second site in the town of San Ignacio, Cayo District, the first stop on my trip. Together with its sister town, Santa Elena, San Ignacio makes up Belize’s second largest urban area. The two towns, locally known as ‘Cayo’, have a combined population of 20,000, made up of Creole, Mestizo, Lebanese, Chinese, Mennonite and Maya.  Whilst in San Ignacio I was able to see first hand some of the projects that ProWorld volunteers have completed. I had a guided tour of the La Loma Luz hospital, one of our most popular placements, and saw the new X-Ray wing, completed by a team of ProWorld volunteers. Our contact at the hospital explained to me how proud they were of this new wing and how much it was going to benefit the surrounding community of Cayo. It was at that moment that I realised how much in my life I take for granted, even simple things like getting an x-ray. I also got to visit Octavia Waight, one of the few retirement homes in Belize, and The Mayan Museum of Culture in San Antonio. It was great to actually see where our volunteers get to work. At the weekends in San Ignacio, ProWorld organises different adventure trips to various sites of interest, the weekend I visited it was a trip to Mayan ruins in the morning and then a well deserved afternoon spent by the swimming pool! The next stop on my trip was Hopkins village, a small coastal Garifuna fishing village in the Stann Creek district. My accommodation here was with a local family; most volunteers live in a homestay. It was a chance to really learn about the Belizean way of life. It was great to be so close to the beach and I had fun swimming with the kids looking for 'sand dollars' (a sea animal shaped like a coin) Although the Hopkins site is smaller than the one at San Ignacio, it is clear to see that ProWorld has made a real difference.  Just walking through the village you can see the playground built for the local children and the trash cans painted and distributed through one of our conservation and environment projects. Whilst I was here I was also shown the primary school where our volunteers do education placements and the local library, yet another ProWorld project. Incidentally my host mum - the local seamstress - makes all the traditional Garifuna uniforms for the school children. Two other projects that I got to visit were the local health clinic and a women’s right project. I’ve always known that ProWorld makes a difference, but visiting all these projects really opened my eyes to how much of a difference. Belize is an amazing country, it opened my eyes to a completely different way of life and changed my views on so many things - I even like Reggae now, something I never thought would happen! I was truly sad to leave... so much so that I have already organised my next visit."   Name: ProWorldAddress: 1 Rockmount, 402 Fulwood Road, Sheffield, S10 3GD Click here >> for all placements offered by ProWorld  Tel: 0845 344 7603 |
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