Tonight, sixteen students are advancing their academic pursuits with full financial support from Belize Bank Limited. Over the years, the bank has awarded hundreds of scholarships to students across Belize, and this year is no exception. From over two hundred applications, the bank selected a group of students who have shown exceptional dedication to their studies and could greatly benefit from the financial assistance. News Five’s Paul Lopez brings us the details.
Paul Lopez, Reporting
Sixteen students entering high school and sixth form will be able to focus solely on their studies, thanks to Belize Bank Limited. Today, these students received full scholarships to cover all their educational expenses at their chosen institutions.
Fillipo Alario
Fillipo Alario, Chief Executive Officer, Belize Bank Limited
“Over the past decade we have had the privilege of supporting more than a hundred kids in their educational journey. We have about eighty-nine students that are in the program right now as we speak.”
Fillipo Alario, the Chief Executive Officer at Belize Bank Limited says seeing students progress as the bank continues to support them is a source of inspiration for the financial institution.
Fillipo Alario
“At the Belize Bank we believe that education is the cornerstone of personal and societal development. We are proud to have supported many of you. We even have kids that have moved on and gone to great universities. We have a graduate of Harvard University. He is so big; we cannot find him.”
Two former recipients of the scholarship were present at today’s award ceremony to encourage the 2024 cohort. Elmer Orellano received the scholarship at the secondary and tertiary levels. He is now an employee at Belize Bank. Dwight Gillett Junior received a high school scholarship from Belize Bank in 2020. Today, he got a second scholarship to attend Saint John’s Junior College.
Dwight Gillet Jr.
Dwight Gillet Jr., Scholarship Recipient
“Belize Bank has trusted me again for my academic years at the sixth form level. I was so anxious when they called me personally to say I got accepted for the scholarship. It was quite hilarious to see my family mouthing what they were saying. I am excited about what my future holds. With that I implore you students not to be fearful about what high school brings. Accept them wholeheartedly as most consider that period as the best of your life. I ask that while you should have fun, focus on your studies and goals and if you find yourself in a slump pick up yourself and don’t give up because the hard-working staff here at Belize Bank and those closest to you only expect great things from you.”
But today’s spotlight was really on the sixteen scholarship recipients who are preparing to start a new journey in their academic pursuits. Martin Leslie and Kiah Griffith are among this year’s recipients. They must maintain an average G.P.A. of two point seven five and above to keep the scholarship. Belize Bank Limited offers tutoring support and other services where needed.
Martin Leslie
Martin Leslie, Scholarship Recipient
“It will help my family because my mom is a single mother, and we need the money to help us with school uniforms and bags.”
Paul Lopez
“How hard did you work in primary school to get here?”
Martin Leslie
“Hard, hard, hard. My mom told me to push and strive for excellence in all I do.”
Reporter
“What did she say when she learnt you got it?”
Martin Leslie
“She was with me and she cried with me.”
Reporter
“For you what is your plans. I know you are just going to high school, but what do you hope to become and why?”
Martin Leslie
“I want to become a pediatrician when I get older, because I want to help sick children because I suffer from sickle cell, and I want to help them.”
Kiah Griffith
Kiah Griffith, Scholarship Recipient
“I decide to apply for this scholarship because I want to make my mom proud and make myself proud.”
Paul Lopez
“What was your response when you found you got it?”
The Ballin’ Like Her Girls basketball camp is underway, and girls from all over the country are participating. This three-day camp engages girls from pre-school age, ranging all the way to college age. It was started to encourage young women to engage in the sport in the hopes of expanding its popularity among the demographic. We spoke with Rosco Reese, President of the Belize District Basketball Association, and two participants to learn how successful the camp has been so far.
Rosco Reese
Rosco Reese, President, Belize District Basketball Association
“Basically FIBA wants to include females more in the sport of basketball. In our country, we know that there are a lot of young girls that play basketball, but there’s no real organized leagues or camps for young girls. So through the Belize District Basketball Association, we came up with the idea to plan a female basketball camp and this is the results right here.”
Britney Gordon
“Have you ever been able to play basketball with so many girls before?”
Kenisha Avila
Kenisha Avila, Participant, Seventeen-years-old
“No, not really. It’s the first time, but at our high school, San Pedro High School, we play basketball. We have our own team. And yeah, those are the only team I have played with before. And this is very new to me and I really love it.”
Mila Guerrero
Mila Guerrero, Participant, Ten-years-old
“So, this is one of my first times playing, but my brother plays a lot, and my sister actually played here and won here.”
Britney Gordon
“How does it feel to be surrounded by so many girls playing a sport like you?”
Mila Guerrero
“It makes me just feel happy because a lot of people share the same interests as me.”
This morning marked the conclusion of the free life-saving swimming lessons provided by the Belize Police Department and the Belize Coast Guard. The camp successfully equipped children with essential swimming skills for survival in emergencies. News Five’s Azain Heredia visited the classes at the Princess Ramada to learn more. Here’s that story.
Azain Heredia, Reporting
At the start of the summer, none of the children you’re seeing here knew how to swim, but by the end of it, all of the participants in the Community Policing Unit Swimming Camp were confident in their ability to do so. The annual programme concluded today after bringing together coast guards and the community policing unit to assist children with free swimming lessons.
A.C.P. Howard Gillett, Commander of the National Community Police Center says that this programme is vital because many children may not be able to afford lessons due to their circumstances.
Howell Gillett
A.C.P. Howell Gillett, Nat’l Commander, Community Policing Unit
“It builds a better relationship with young people because oftentimes young people see law enforcement as, people who are making arrests or they see the bad side of what happens in law enforcement, But we are not all about that, we are here to work with our young people, so that we can deliver them to successful adulthood. The idea is to have no need for policing or policing reason for arresting our young people.”
For years, the Belize Coast Guard has coordinated with the Belize Police Department to carry out the program. Lieutenant Junior Moody told us how the programme has evolved over the years to strengthen its approach.
Junior Andrew Moody
Lieutenant, Junior Andrew Moody, Swim Coordinator
“What I’ve seen is that the children are more eager to learn. Alright, they’re not afraid as the previous classes. We have seen that the children were a little bit afraid. In this class here we seen that they’ve become a little more excited t learn how to swim.”
After completing the programme, the participants walked away with exceptional swimming skills.
Azain Heredia
“How was your experience with this camp?”
Nathan Lambey
Nathan Lambey, Participant
“I just feel like I didn’t know how to swim, but when I believed myself.”
Mexico’s Tren Maya project is facing significant criticism for its performance and impact. The railway’s current operation includes 34 stops across Yucatán, Quintana Roo, Tabasco, Campeche, and Chiapas, yet many popular routes are still under construction. However, according to Travel Noire, the high-profile tourism project is struggling to meet expectations just months after its December 25, 2023, launch.
With a projected cost that could exceed $30 billion, the train is only halfway complete, and its current offerings are not enticing travelers. Authorities initially forecasted daily ridership between 22,000 and 37,000, but according to Travel Noire, the train now sees just around 1,200 passengers per day. The incomplete sections, particularly the link between Cancun and resort areas, are contributing to the train’s low usage rates.
Environmental Impact of the Tren Maya
Adding to the controversy are environmental concerns. Critics argue that the environmental costs and disruption to indigenous Mayan habitats outweigh the benefits of the tourism project.
The railway “is splitting the jungle in half,” said Ismael Lara, a guide who takes tourists to a cave that shelters millions of bats near the Calakmul Biosphere Reserve. Lara fears the train, due to pass close by, will disrupt wildlife routes and attract too much development to fragile ecosystems, according to Reuters.
“Not only has the train been built over cenotes, which could collapse at any time, it’s also displaced many Maya communities,” Paulina Rios, a Mexico City marine biologist, told the BBC.
An environmental impact study was conducted by the Mexican government. The study evaluated the risk of cave collapse when the tracks get engineered. A prevention programme would be implemented if necessary. “In terms of safety, part of the delays in the project is precisely because of these points … The project has been changed several times,” said another expert who participated in the government’s environmental impact study.
Tren Maya Coming to Belize
Tren Maya is expected to facilitate the easier movement of goods and tourists between Belize and Mexico. Mexico’s outgoing president Andrés Manuel López Obrador held a significant meeting with Prime Minister John Briceño on March 25, 2024, around the topic of expanding the Tren Maya to Belize. The discussions included a strategic push for a train station near Belize’s border to facilitate smoother transit of tourists and goods between the two nations.
In an official statement released on March 27, 2024, it said, “Discussions centered around the possibility of establishing one of the stations at Belize’s Northern Border with Mexico, thereby providing passenger and freight service for Belize to all of southern Mexico. This will also provide access to the Interoceanic Railway in Mexico, a key route that links important port cities on both its Pacific and Atlantic coasts.”
According to PM Briceño, the proposed expansion of Mexico’s Tren Maya railway into Belize is set to significantly reshape regional connectivity and economic dynamics. “The next step for them to do a study as to how we could get it to probably to Belize City or somewhere in the country.” Currently, the Tren Maya project, which spans 966.27 miles across Mexico’s southeastern states, has faced scrutiny due to lower-than-expected ridership and environmental concerns. However, the extension into Belize could offer a range of transformative benefits for both countries.
From an economic perspective, the extension could stimulate significant growth. Belizean products would gain better access to Mexican markets, potentially increasing trade volumes and boosting local industries.
The expanded network might also help address some of Tren Maya’s existing challenges. Additionally, the expansion might help mitigate some environmental concerns by promoting more sustainable cross-border travel options.
Police in southern Belize are looking for a 19-year-old man in relation to a report of “unlawful sexual intercourse.”
The ongoing investigations followed the report of a 35-year-old woman who accompanied her 15-year-old daughter to the police station on Wednesday, July 24. The teenager reported that she had sexual relations twice in July with a known male person at his home. A medical examination was conducted, where it was certified that the minor was carnally known.
Police are investigating an apparent drowning incident that occurred in the Indian Ville Extension area of Punta Gorda Town. The incident was reported on Wednesday, July 24, at 1:00 p.m.
Upon arrival, authorities were informed by 49-year-old Bernardo Cho that one of his sons had fallen into a nearby pond and drowned. Ten-year-old Jazer Cho was retrieved from the pond, and CPR was performed but was unsuccessful. Jazer Cho was later pronounced dead. The investigation into the circumstances surrounding the tragic incident is ongoing.
Belize City police are investigating a fatal traffic accident that occurred on Wednesday, July 24, at around 8:20 a.m. at the intersection of King Street and East Canal Street.
Officers found a public bus with front-end damage, driven by 44-year-old Yadir Ernesto Perez, a bus driver from Corozal District. They also discovered a black Meilun motorcycle with extensive damage, driven by 36-year-old Orion Michael McKenzie from Belize City, who had a passenger, 44-year-old Felipe Cowo from San Antonio Village, Toledo District.
Initial investigations suggest that Perez was driving the bus on King Street, while McKenzie was riding the motorcycle on East Canal Street. Allegedly, McKenzie failed to stop at a stop sign and attempted to cross the intersection, leading to a collision with the bus. The impact caused McKenzie to lose control, crashing into a taco stand and injuring himself, Cowo, and 36-year-old Marina Garcia, a businesswoman.
McKenzie and Cowo were transported to the Karl Heusner Memorial Hospital (KHMH) for medical attention. Unfortunately, McKenzie was pronounced dead on arrival, while Cowo sustained other injuries. The investigation is ongoing.
Two students from Pennsylvania Western University (PennWest) in Clarion spent their summer providing speech therapy in Belize. Allison Clark from Shippenville and Michaela Armanini from DuBois, both recent graduates with degrees in speech pathology and audiology, participated in this hands-on clinical experience as part of a 13-person team from PennWest. The group worked under the auspices of Therapy Abroad, an Idaho-based organisation that offers immersive short-term experiences for students in need-based communities.
Clark and Armanini joined other students from the Clarion campus, as well as representatives from Edinboro and California, to deliver clinical services. Their work, supervised by Dr. Melissa Brydon and Dr. Kristen West, focused on assessing and intervening with children identified as having speech or language concerns. The students visited different schools daily, providing necessary assessments and therapies, often seeing multiple students in a single day.
The experience in Belize was particularly valuable due to the country’s limited resources—there are only two speech-language pathologists for its 400,000 residents. Clark noted that their team of twelve significantly contributed by leaving behind all their therapy resources and notes, which would aid local therapists.
Despite coping with extreme heat and wildfires, the students found the experience rewarding. They highlighted the warm reception and appreciation from the local community, which reinforced the value of their efforts. Clark and Armanini emphasised the importance of learning about a different culture while applying their clinical skills in a real-world setting.
This initiative marked the first time PennWest Clarion students in the communication sciences and disorders programme performed speech-language therapy in Belize. The success of this trip has set the stage for future clinical outreaches, with plans already underway for annual trips to both Belize and Spain.
Around 733 million people faced hunger in 2023, equivalent to one in eleven people globally and one in five in Africa, according to the latest State of Food Security and Nutrition in the World (SOFI) report published today by five United Nations specialized agencies.
The annual report, launched this year in the context of the G20 Global Alliance against Hunger and Poverty Task Force Ministerial Meeting in Brazil, warns that the world is falling significantly short of achieving Sustainable Development Goal (SDG) 2, Zero Hunger, by 2030. The report shows that the world has been set back 15 years, with levels of undernourishment comparable to those in 2008-2009.
Despite some progress in specific areas such as stunting and exclusive breastfeeding, an alarming number of people continue to face food insecurity and malnutrition as global hunger levels have plateaued for three consecutive years, with between 713 and 757 million people undernourished in 2023—approximately 152 million more than in 2019 when considering the mid-range (733 million).
Regional trends vary significantly: the percentage of the population facing hunger continues to rise in Africa (20.4 percent), remains stable in Asia (8.1 percent)—though still representing a significant challenge as the region is home to more than half of those facing hunger worldwide —and shows progress in Latin America (6.2 percent). From 2022 to 2023, hunger increased in Western Asia, the Caribbean, and most African subregions.
If current trends continue, about 582 million people will be chronically undernourished in 2030, half of them in Africa, warn the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO), the International Fund for Agricultural Development (IFAD), the United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF), the UN World Food Programme (WFP), and the World Health Organization (WHO). This projection closely resembles the levels seen in 2015 when the Sustainable Development Goals were adopted, marking a concerning stagnation in progress.
Key findings beyond hunger
FAO Director General QU Dongyu at G20 in Brazil1
The report highlights that access to adequate food remains elusive for billions. In 2023, around 2.33 billion people globally faced moderate or severe food insecurity, a number that has not changed significantly since the sharp upturn in 2020, amid the COVID-19 pandemic. Among those, over 864 million people experienced severe food insecurity, going without food for an entire day or more at times. This number has remained stubbornly high since 2020 and while Latin America shows improvement, broader challenges persist, especially in Africa where 58 percent of the population is moderately or severely food insecure.
The lack of economic access to healthy diets also remains a critical issue, affecting over one-third of the global population. With new food price data and methodological improvements, the publication reveals that over 2.8 billion people were unable to afford a healthy diet in 2022. This disparity is most pronounced in low-income countries, where 71.5 percent of the population cannot afford a healthy diet, compared to 6.3 percent in high-income countries. Notably, the number dropped below pre-pandemic levels in Asia and in Northern America and Europe, while it increased substantially in Africa.
While progress has been made in increasing exclusive breastfeeding rates among infants to 48%, achieving global nutrition targets will be a challenge. Low birthweight prevalence has stagnated around 15%, and stunting among children under five, while declining to 22.3%, still falls short of achieving targets. Additionally, the prevalence of wasting among children has not seen significant improvement while anaemia in women aged 15 to 49 years has increased.
Similarly, new estimates of adult obesity show a steady increase over the last decade, from 12.1 percent (2012) to 15.8 percent (2022). Projections indicate that by 2030, the world will have more than 1.2 billion obese adults. The double burden of malnutrition – the co-existence of undernutrition together with overweight and obesity – has also surged globally across all age groups. Thinness and underweight have declined in the last two decades, while obesity has risen sharply.
These trends underscore the complex challenges of malnutrition in all its forms and the urgent need for targeted interventions as the world is not on track to reach any of the seven global nutrition targets by 2030, the five agencies indicate.
Food insecurity and malnutrition are worsening due to a combination of factors, including persisting food price inflation that continues to erode economic gains for many people in many countries. Major drivers like conflict, climate change, and economic downturns are becoming more frequent and severe. These issues, along with underlying factors such as unaffordable healthy diets, unhealthy food environments and persistent inequality, are now coinciding simultaneously, amplifying their individual effects.
Financing to end hunger
FAO Director General_QU Dongyu at G20 in Brazil1 (2)
This year’s report’s theme “Financing to end hunger, food insecurity and all forms of malnutrition’’, emphasizes that achieving SDG 2 Zero Hunger requires a multi-faceted approach, including transforming and strengthening agrifood systems, addressing inequalities, and ensuring affordable and accessible healthy diets for all. It calls for increased and more cost-effective financing, with a clear and standardized definition of financing for food security and nutrition.
The heads of the five UN agencies, FAO Director-General QU Dongyu; IFAD President Alvaro Lario; UNICEF Executive Director Catherine Russell; WFP’s Executive Director Cindy McCain; and WHO Director-General Dr. Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus write in the report’s Foreword: “Estimating the gap in financing for food security and nutrition and mobilizing innovative ways of financing to bridge it must be among our top priorities. Policies, legislation and interventions to end hunger and ensure all people have access to safe, nutritious and sufficient food (SDG Target 2.1), and to end all forms of malnutrition (SDG Target 2.2) need significant resource mobilization. They are not only an investment in the future, but our obligation. We strive to guarantee the right to adequate food and nutrition of current and future generations”.
As highlighted during a recent event in the High-Level Political Forum at UN headquarters in New York, the report underscores that the looming financing gap necessitates innovative, equitable solutions, particularly for countries facing high levels of hunger and malnutrition exacerbated by climate impacts.
Countries most in need of increased financing face significant challenges in access. Among the 119 low- and middle-income countries analyzed, approximately 63 percent have limited or moderate access to financing. Additionally, the majority of these countries (74 percent) are impacted by one or more major factors contributing to food insecurity and malnutrition. Coordinated efforts to harmonize data, increase risk tolerance, and enhance transparency are vital to bridge this gap and strengthen global food security and nutrition frameworks.
What they said
FAO Director-General, QU Dongyu: “Transforming agrifood systems is more critical than ever as we face the urgency of achieving the SDGs within six short years. FAO remains committed to supporting countries in their efforts to eradicate hunger and ensure food security for all. We will work together with all partners and with all approaches, including the G20 Global Alliance against Hunger and Poverty, to accelerate the needed change. Together, we must innovate and collaborate to build more efficient, inclusive, resilient, and sustainable agrifood systems that can better withstand future challenges for a better world.”
IFAD President, Alvaro Lario: “The fastest route out of hunger and poverty is proven to be through investments in agriculture in rural areas. But the global and financial landscape has become far more complex since the Sustainable Development Goals were adopted in 2015. Ending hunger and malnutrition demands that we invest more – and more smartly. We must bring new money into the system from the private sector and recapture the pandemic-era appetite for ambitious global financial reform that gets cheaper financing to the countries who need it most.’’
UNICEF Executive Director, Catherine Russell: “Malnutrition affects a child’s survival, physical growth, and brain development. Global child stunting rates have dropped by one third, or 55 million, in the last two decades, showing that investments in maternal and child nutrition pay off. Yet globally, one in four children under the age of five suffers from undernutrition, which can lead to long-term damage. We must urgently step-up financing to end child malnutrition. The world can and must do it. It is not only a moral imperative but also a sound investment in the future.”
WFP Executive Director, Cindy McCain: “A future free from hunger is possible if we can rally the resources and the political will needed to invest in proven long-term solutions. I call on G20 leaders to follow Brazil’s example and prioritize ambitious global action on hunger and poverty. “We have the technologies and know-how to end food insecurity – but we urgently need the funds to invest in them at scale. WFP is ready to step up our collaboration with governments and partners to tackle the root causes of hunger, strengthen social safety nets and support sustainable development so every family can live in dignity.”
WHO Director-General, Dr. Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus: “The progress we have made on reducing stunting and improving exclusive breastfeeding shows that the challenges we face are not insurmountable. We must use those gains as motivation to alleviate the suffering that millions of people around the world endure every day from hunger, food insecurity, unhealthy diets and malnutrition. The substantial investment required in healthy, safe and sustainably produced food is far less than the costs to economies and societies if we do nothing.”
Notes to the editor: the SOFI report
The State of Food Security and Nutrition in the World is an annual report jointly prepared by the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO), the International Fund for Agricultural Development (IFAD), the United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF), the UN World Food Programme (WFP) and the World Health Organization (WHO).
Since 1999, it has monitored and analysed the world’s progress towards ending hunger, achieving food security and improving nutrition. It also provides an in-depth analysis of key challenges for achieving these goals in the context of the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development. The report targets a wide audience, including policymakers, international organizations, academic institutions and the general public.
This year’s theme is timely and relevant in the run-up to the Summit of the Future, and the Fourth International Conference on Financing for Development in 2025.
Former UDP leader Patrick Faber has publicly called for the removal of current party leader Moses “Shyne” Barrow, citing concerns over leadership and internal party dynamics. This is not the first time that Faber has made these types of comments against Barrow.
“Іf І’m unаblе tо ѕау hоw І fееl іn thе раrtу’ѕ іntеrnаl ѕtruсturеѕ, І’ll ѕау іt hеrе lоud аnd сlеаr!… hе muѕt gо,” Faber said in part on Facebook.
The situation follows reports of an informal meeting of UDP standard bearers, including prominent figures like Tracy Panton, John Saldivar, and Beverly Williams, convening to discuss ‘general reform’ within the party.
Prior to these new developments, on Friday, July 19, Barrow dismissed calls for his resignation as “propaganda” orchestrated by his detractors. He denied any intention to step down, asserting his commitment to lead the UDP through its current challenges. “I am not going to quit on my party. I am a fighter. I am going to keep fighting. That is one constituency. That is not a reflection of the wider party.” Barrow said.
With tensions running high and factions within the party openly advocating for change, the UDP is preparing for its upcoming National Party Council meeting on August 3rd.
