The AMEXCID-FAO Mesoamerica Hunger-Free initiative, in partnership with the Ministry of Education, Culture, Science and Technology, has successfully completed two key training sessions to improve the National Healthy Start Feeding Program in Belize. The “Mesoamerica Hunger Free AMEXCID-FAO” program is a south-south triangular cooperation initiative jointly led by the Government of Mexico, through the Mexican Agency for International Cooperation for Development (AMEXCID), and the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO).
Acknowledging the essential role of cooks in providing healthy meals to students, a specialized training session was held for school kitchen staff in the Southern Districts. Over three days, 58 cooks from 23 schools in the Toledo and Stann Creek Districts participated in this training.
Led by Doris Sutherland, a nutrition education consultant, with support from Cathleen Juan, the school feeding coordinator, the training focused on enhancing the cooks’ knowledge of nutrition, food safety, and menu planning. The cooks learned how to prepare vegetable-rich recipes and child-friendly meals. Practical sessions allowed participants to apply these techniques, with a strong emphasis on food safety, including proper temperature monitoring using thermometers. Each participant received a digital thermometer to use in their school kitchens, ensuring they are equipped to implement these practices and improve student health and nutrition.
In a separate initiative, financial management training was provided for the school feeding program, with 111 participants from 67 schools nationwide.
Facilitated by FAO consultant Carlos Ek, with support from Cathleen Juan, this training aimed to equip principals and administrators with the skills necessary to manage, monitor, and report on school feeding funds effectively. Participants were introduced to basic accounting principles, voucher systems, and a new financial reporting template to be used by schools and the Ministry of Education, Culture, Science and Technology for monitoring and data collection.
The course also highlighted the importance of creating healthy school environments and demonstrated how proper financial management can sustain school feeding programs. Participants left the training with a better understanding of how to use funds efficiently to support students’ nutritional needs, thereby enhancing the program’s impact on student health and educational outcomes.
The United Democratic Party’s divide widens with every passing day. The central executive has ejected Tracy Panton, Patrick Faber, John Saldivar and Beverly Williams from the party. News Five has received information that as of Wednesday, all these individuals were declared constructively resigned. According to this information, all four politicians were removed from the party because they formed a cabal, “Alliance for Democracy” and are acting in violation of the U.D.P.’s constitution. The central executive referenced a March 2011 U.D.P. declaration in which then party chairman, Patrick Faber deemed Orange Walk East Area Representative Marcel Cardona constructively resigned due to repeated violations of the party’s constitution. So, this is perhaps a scenario where Faber is getting a taste of his own medicine. But Faber says he is not going anywhere. He, along with Saldivar, Panton and Williams took to Facebook today to respond. Faber wrote, “The longest serving member of parliament, former chairman, deputy party leader/ deputy P.M. and former party leader, do you really think you can constructively resign me?”. John Saldivar said, “this is hogwash. I am now looking at my colleague’s standard bearers to see who will stand up for what is right, what is fair, what is constitutional. I am looking to them to see who will bell the cat before we self-destruct”. Panton and Williams both noted that they have not resigned and neither do they have any intentions to do so. So, will Belizeans see a united U.D.P. anytime soon? Information to News Five is that a team of mediators was established to intervene in the matter. The mediators have since given up on this mission. The team was comprised of Reverend David Goff, former House Speaker Laura Longsworth, Aldo Salazar and the party’s National Campaign Manager, Lindsay Garbutt. Reverend Goff wrote to both Barrow and Panton saying that they have only met once with both groups, however, given the recent events taking place, they believe that they cannot continue the process. The Alliance for Democracy says has scheduled a press conference for Monday morning. We will continue to follow.
The Commission of Inquiry into the sugar industry heard from Chief Executive Officer of the Belize Sugar Cane Farmers Association, Oscar Alonzo today. He told the Commission that since the formula for the payment of sugarcane was first derived in 1966, there has not been any kind of agreement on the part of cane farmers that the formula ensures they are getting their fair share of the profits. Alonzo pointed to the contention, distrust and divisiveness that has developed between the investor and producers and he expressed hope that the inquiry can lead to having an industry working with greater unification and harmony. He said that the sugar industry regulations have served a purpose in the past, but that there is need now for them to serve a better purpose for the foreign investors and the cane farmers. Alonzo hopes for a partnership between both parties where one does not have to take the information provided by the other, but one where the information is shared freely.
Oscar Alonzo
Oscar Alonzo, C.E.O., B.S.C.F.A
“One of the fundamental factors is the issue of disclosure of information. If we could achieve a greater measure of this being improved on, I think this would help a lot because the disclosure of information is at the root of what we are experiencing at the moment. The investors, foreign and whatever the case might be, have generally tended to use the expression of private sector – private business – to justify their reluctance to disclose information, but they have also used terms like free market economy, capitalist accumulation, things that we don’t object to; it’s part of what we are involved with. That would work if we had a situation where we are equals, where it is not a process where the powerful which invariably has been the foreign investor and the weaker party which is the local producer having to literally accept without question what is given to them in terms of the commercial nature or the commercial value of the transactions that occur. Allusions have been made to the fact that we should not touch the issue of the cane payment and the formula that exists because no consideration of profit-sharing should be part of that; we should consider a concept of values and having the pie grow and not sharing the pie. I think this is an interpretation being given just to further reinforce the reluctance to provide information.”
Ahead of the inquiry, the B.S.C.F.A had hired Senior Counsel Magali Marin-Young to make presentations on its behalf. Today, Marin-Young expressed, on behalf of the association, the importance for the Commission to investigate the legal framework, as well as the Sugar Industry Regulations to see how it could strengthen them, the weaknesses and what she termed as the unequal bargaining power and lack of transparency and information.
Magali Marin-Young, S.C, Attorney for B.S.C.F.A
“You have one miller in the northern districts for Belize sugar cane farmers to sell their produce to. It is in effect, a monopoly. There is no other miller that the canefarmer can sell his sugarcane in any cost-effective manner. Santander is all the way near Cotton Tree in the Cayo District. For it to transport its sugarcane would make it highly inefficient, so the canefarmer has nobody else to sell but to the one miller in the northern districts. So, speaking on behalf of the Belize Sugar Cane Farmers Association, and as signaled by the CEO, I think it is time for us to seriously look at the legislative framework. It is not working. It leads to a contentious situation.”
Chairman of the association’s Finance Committee, Javier Keme told the commission that there is concern over a disadvantage in the current model of the Net Strip Value, which Belize Sugar Industries/American Sugar Refinery uses in the method of payment to cane farmers. Keme explained that they are paid by percentage, but they believe that the figures can be manipulated.
Javier Keme
Javier Keme, Chairman, B.S.C.F.A. Finance Committee
“Depending on the first estimated price, which is the first issue that the farmer is at a disadvantage because BSI at arriving at a first estimated price, in our view figures are being manipulated because the NSV model offers that on the side of the marketing prices to be conservative, to be on the lower end, and on the costs to be on the upper end. That cost would be more. This automatically results in a low first estimated price and the first estimated price is what give ground to apply a formula that if its over forty-two dollars, it’s going to be eighty-five percent. If it’s more, the percentage reduces to eighty percent of that estimated price. This creates a big challenge to the producers and it worsened over the years with the cost of grain inputs increasing. Why? Because as the first estimated price is calculated, it only covers the cost of harvesting. Remember that the producer had already embarked on a loan or financing to do the maintenance cost or investments in the production for that respective crop.”
Chairman of the Orange Walk branch of the B.S.C.F.A., Alfredo Ortega said that the farmers are not in agreement with the idea that increasing sugar prices will solve the problem of the sugar shortage on the shelves. He told the commission that what should be considered is simply producing more sugar to supply both the local and the foreign markets.
Alfredo Ortega, Chairman, B.S.C.F.A, Orange Walk Branch
“Everything that uses sugar will go up and we don’t think that by increasing the price will solve the problem and it’s also not good for us being a sugar-producing country having two mills not to have sugar on the shelves as our community needs. SO we as the B.S.C.F .A are concerned of that issue. We think there are methods that can be put in place to reduce the smuggle out of here or as they have said to us many times, that the local sugar is the best price that they have, whenever there are reduced prices around the world. So what they should do then if they want to have this outgoing of sugar is produce more local sugar.”
The Government of Belize might be facing yet another lawsuit after it decided to compulsorily acquire a portion of Stake Bank land. The twenty-three point four acres of land is owned by the Feinstein Group’s Chairman, Michael Feinstein. A press release from the Feinstein Group, refers to government’s decision as high-handed interference in a private sector dispute. It continues by sharing its view that the matter that is before the High Court is unfair and improper for several reasons and it goes on to list several, a port of which we “first, government is siding with Honduran businessmen of questionable business practices. Atlantic International Bank Limited was, in 2019, forced to pay twenty-three million dollars to settle Federal Trade Commission charges for its involvement in the massive Sanctuary Bay land fraud. That bank collapsed and the Hondurans allowed Atlantic Bank International to go into receivership rather than satisfy all its outstanding creditors. Second, earlier this year the domestic Atlantic Bank Limited was slapped with a substantial fine by the Central Bank of Belize for irregular banking practices. Third, these Honduran businessmen have no experience in developing cruise ship port facilities”. On Tuesday, Commissioner of Lands Talbert Brackett informed Feinstein via letter of the government’s plan to acquire the land and stated that the acquisition was for a public purpose. The letter also informed Feinstein that he can present proposals for the government to voluntarily purchase the land, but that if he doesn’t, the government can acquire the land. The acquisition would be within six weeks of the second declaration being published in the Gazette. The land is the subject of a High Court civil matter to determine ownership between Atlantic Bank and Feinstein. Development at the cruise facility stopped in March. News Five attempted to get a comment from the Feinstein Group but our efforts were futile.
A police officer has plead guilty to hitting a detainee in the head with a padlock back in 2023. He is Inspector Christopher Martinez, who is accused of removing the padlock from a jail cell and striking businessman Aaron Flowers in the head with it. Flowers alleges that he was beaten by Martinez while detained in a holding cell after he discovered that Flowers was the person who allegedly opened fire at his residence with a firearm. Martinez appeared before the court today represented by senior council Simeon Sampson, where he pleaded guilty and apologized to the court for wasting their time. Earlier this year, Martinez, who was then represented by attorney Andrew Bennett, requested a sentencing indication as he was considering pleading guilty. However, when he was told he would be given a custodial sentence he chose to push the matter further before the court. Bennett would later recuse himself from the case after allegations arose of Martinez attempting to bribe and intimidate Flowers into settling. Today, his guilty plea was recorded and he is due back in court on September thirteenth for mitigation.
The immigration officer accused of extorting three thousand U.S. dollars from a Jamaican traveler was back in court today where she was provided full disclosure of her case. Allegations are that in March of this year, thirty-one-year-old Monique Escalante demanded three thousand U.S. dollars from Jamaican national Janhoi Richards while he was at the Philip Goldson International Airport. Escalante claims that she was legally authorized to do so as an immigration officer. The disclosure amounted to one hundred and four pages and three CD’s that make up the evidence which the police will be relying on to prove a case against her. Escalante’s previous attorney Audrey Matura had claimed that her client was innocent, and her arrest was a scapegoat for the corruption of senior immigration officers. Escalante is now represented by attorney Leslie Hamilton and her next court date is set for November eighth, 2024.
On Tuesday, vendors from the Pound Yard Market reached out to News Five to bring attention to the unsanitary conditions they have been working in for the past week. According to the vendors, the trash bins located at the back of the market have been overflowing, causing a foul smell to disturb the nearby vendors. They also complain that due to the recent rain, the trash bins have been leaking in the surrounding areas. Today, News Five’s Britney Gordon visited the market to hear from the vendors affected by this situation.
Britney Gordon, Reporting
The Pound Yard Market Stinks and no one is happy about it. Vendors and customers cannot bear the stench of trash and polluted water from overflowing trash bins placed directly near stalls. Vegetable Vendor, Armando Solis, who has a stall near the bins, tells us that he has tried every avenue to get the issue resolved for the past few days.
Armando Solis
Armando Solis, Produce Vendor
“We already called the human department and I believe actually I cannot tell ypu who come to see it and the only answer that they give us that they was going to speak with the administration and the following day city council come and they said the same thing that they’re going to speak with the administration that happened last week and no nothing is happening we have been I have been spoken with the with one of the administrator that is supposed to be doing something for us about the garbage. And he said that they are working on it, but up to now we don’t see they are working on the garbage. And it’s an issue because we have a kitchen on the side. We have a vegetables vendor right there. And all the customers that are passing, they’re saying we have a, that’s not correct.”
The garbage is picked up once a week, on Wednesdays. By Monday morning the foul odor is unbearable, and the bins are swarming with houseflies. It is an unwelcoming environment where no one wants to purchase food. Ana Portillo, a food vendor for over ten years, says the market administration told her that she can relocate, but she does not want to uproot her business.
Ana Portillo
Ana Portillo, Food Vendor
“He say I have the option to move from here to that place, but this is my place for a long time, so I don’t want to move from here.”
Britney Gordon
“Your customers know that you are here, and so you feel that if you move, that might affect business too?”
Ana Portillo
“It could be.”
Previously, the bins were located further behind the market, but they have since been moved because of apartments being built nearby.
Armando Solis
“They just moved it front because I believe they’re doing some apartment da back. And they say that for the apartments, it’s not good, but it’s good for us.”
Britney Gordon
“That sells food.”
Armando Solis
“Yeah, that is good for us to have it there. And the apartments not even finish it. So the new customer have not reached there yet. We have been here for a couple of years and they don’t put that in value.”
To the vendors, the situation is dire, with no clear end in sight. According to the Pound Yard administration, it is a temporary situation. About a decade ago, similar complaints were raised at the nearby Michael Finnegan Market, but a garbage facility has since been built at the back of the market. Kelvin Aguilar, a manager at the Pound Yard Market, explained that the team is working to implement that very same solution.
On the Phone: Kelvin Aguilar
On the Phone: Kelvin Aguilar, Manager, Pound Yard Market
“What happened is that we needed a location to put the garbage bin so that we can build the permanent foundation for the bin. What what we are doing now is that we are building some apartments on the right side of the property and we wanted to build a fence with a gate to facilitate the Belize Waste Control to come and pick up the bin, no? And due to the fact that this has always been Issue for us, we want to address it in the best for the best way possible. So we have also signed documents to get a bigger been, which is seven feet longer than the existing been that we have. And because the bin is bigger, we need a bigger foundation, the one that we are going to get we are going to put walls around it with a proper drainage system on the foundation, and we will have hours. In place for the entire market to come and throw away their to get disposed of their garbage.”
According to Aguilar, there was no where else to place the bins while the structure is being built, as Belize Waste Control needs enough space to pick up the trash. As a temporary fix, the market is purchasing a bigger trash bin and a shed.
On the Phone: Kelvin Aguilar
“We have put gravel and I have instructed the guys to also put lime. The white lime. This soaks up the little drainage that is caused due to the rain and the garbage and everything, which we believe that putting a shed is going to help alleviate that. What happened is that the vendors are getting rid of, of vegetables that haven’t sold and, all the waste and so when it rains, this causes the flies and all that kind of stuff. It causes a smell and everything. So we believe that by putting the shed and everything in place, it’s going to help.”
While the vendors wait for the problems to be resolved, the administration asks that they all throw their trash inside the bin, instead of the surrounding area, to minimize leakage.
On The Phone: Kelvin Aguilar
“We have to all work together to try and help this. It’s just a temporary situation, so I expect that by this next week, it should be solved.”
