November, 2024 - Channel 5 Belize

Bridging the Gaps in Education Caused by Covid-19

All Saints Anglican is now officially a Doodle Learning School. It’s been four years since the COVID-19 pandemic turned our world upside down, forcing communities into isolation and pushing education online. This shift left many young children with gaps in their learning. But today, there’s good news. The Ministry of Education donated several Chromebooks to the school, allowing students to fully participate in the Doodle Learning program. This innovative initiative gives students the chance to boost their Math and English skills. Here’s News Five’s Britney Gordon with more details.

Britney Gordon, Reporting

Early childhood development is crucial, as these years lay the foundation for a child’s entire academic journey, especially when it comes to learning how to read. In 2020, the COVID-19 pandemic forced schools to shift to online classrooms, which hindered many children’s academic progress. Today, the Ministry of Education took a big step to address this by handing over Doodle Learning Tablets to All Saints Anglican Primary School in Belize City. This initiative aims to bridge the gaps left in the wake of the pandemic.

Collin Estrada, Principal, All Saints Primary School

“During COVID we lost some time even though we had online classes. And when we had done Even our own internal assessments. We know that how some students are behind. And so this program will aid in terms of being able to fill the gaps that are there. So that our students will be able to be at level.”

The tablets are equipped with Math and English lessons, targeted for standard four students. The program is licensed by the school for one year so that the current standard three students will benefit as well when they advance to standard four.

Francis Fonseca, Minister of Education

“Students in that age group of say ten to twelve were most affected. And then it also highlighted, no surprise to us, it also highlighted that in these foundational areas of math and language, reading spelling, timetable those things were specific areas that were identified as areas that were weak. And those are obviously foundational subjects and foundational areas. So we had to come up with a plan to target that, and this is a part of that response. It’s not, obviously it’s a part of a much larger response to this issue that has been ongoing for many years.”

The project, sponsored by the International Development Bank, is set to expand and reach students across the country.

Francis Fonseca

“It’s going to target six students across the country from seventy different schools, seventy government and grant aided schools. It’s going to be for three years certainly in the first instance. So it’s a good initiative and the whole idea is to make, to take a very interactive, fun, experiential kind of approach to learning because we know that’s how young people today learn.”

Recent graduates of the school were not able to benefit from the program as it was launched after their graduation. Estrada assures us that while these children were at the school, they received all the extra help the school could offer at the time.

Collin Estrada

“One of the things that we at this institution tried as much to do during that period was that we had the Google Suite and even up to the point that we had here whereby we were able to lend students computer to be able to take home so there won’t be that much of a deficiency. Okay, so I could tell you while we are going through COVID during that time, we because of a donor, Anwar Barrow and our barrio, we had repurposed some funds and we were able to get in computers. And so we were able to loan them to our students who were in standard 5 and 6 at the time.”

Britney Gordon for News Five.

St. Joseph RC Primary School Learning Robotic Through FIFA Donation

Saint Joseph RC Primary School is on a mission to educate the next generation of STEAM experts. Today, the school received forty robotics kits and other supplies from the Ministry of Education. This generous donation is part of FIFA’s Digital Education Program, a three-year initiative introducing computer science and robotics to primary schools worldwide. Belize is the first country in the region to participate, representing one of six continents. At the ceremony earlier today, Minister of Education Francis Fonseca explained how Belizean students will benefit from this exciting project.

Francis Fonseca, Minister of Education
“This is, as I said, a collaborative effort between the Government of Belize, the Ministry of Education, Football Federation of Belize, and the FIFA Foundation. The whole objective is that We’re trying to, of course, continue the work of ensuring that we’re equipping our students and teachers with competencies in programming, robotics, computing. So this is a program, we’re doing it here at St. Joseph’s today, but it will affect about ten thousand students across the country, and three hundred teachers are being trained. The entire objective of the program is, as I said, to ensure that our students are equipped with the knowledge and skills they need to fully participate in this new world of technology.”

Britney Gordon

“And we heard them say on the podium that Belize was the country chosen for this entire continent. How did that come about?”

Francis Fonseca

“Yeah, that’s very interesting. Yeah, it really, we have to give credit to Prime Minister Briceño. He had a meeting with both the president and chairman of FIFA in New York, I think about two years ago. And so that really was the beginning of this process. He established that personal contact with them. And so it was out of that relationship that Belize was eventually. And so we followed up on that. We have to give credit to the Prime Minister.”

Faada Wants You to Donate Christmas Toys for the Children

It’s that time of year again when we come together to spread some holiday cheer to kids who might not be as fortunate. Many groups are raising funds to buy toys for children who otherwise wouldn’t get any gifts. Traffic safety activist Phillip “Faada” Henry dropped by our office to ask for donations for his Christmas toy drive and party. He also had a special request for the Belize City Council on the day he plans to kick off his toy drive.

Phillip “Fadda” Henry, Organizer, Christmas Toy Drive

“The Christmas party comes up on the, it’s actually the 20th of December. Okay. Basically, I am all over the city at this time to try to gain 500 toys for 500 children who will be happy for this Christmas. I am here at Channel 5 also to pledge to Channel 5 to be a part of this initiative to make children happy. The reason for this Christmas party is for the Cinderella Plaza area to be closed off by the traffic department. I appeal to the Mayor of Lee City for closing off of the Cinderella Plaza, whereby all these children will gather on the 20th of December, which is, a day of fun, you know I’m appealing to the entire community, across different community. I will also have 36 elderly women. Why will I have 36 elderly women? These are the women who grandmothers who take children to school and pick them up back. We found 36 elderly lady who have been doing great over the year and coming to the end of the year. I will do a makeover of these ladies they will get a fully makeover dress Well, and they will be taken out for dinner and also be received our pantry for their home As well and gift by different business community Miss Marianne i’m appealing to everybody to try to throw in a toy to be a part of this initiative so that we doesn’t have a child left out. The toy is going to be from a female and male. Any, so a girl toy or a boy toy. If you cannot give a toy, we are asking you to please donate to, um, my, my phone number, which is 600 1288. My name is Philip Father Henry. I also want to show that I have received, a donation from the Princess Ramada Hotel. An overnight stay with breakfast and dinner. And also five tickets to go into the casino, and I will be raffling it for $10. So somebody will get the opportunity to go either with their husband and wife or either with their sister for this Christmas. It’s valid up to 2025 October.”

B.E.L. Says it Will Be Able to Meet 2025’s Power Supply Demands

This year, Belize Electricity Limited (B.E.L) faced a lot of heat over the dreaded “load-shedding” – those planned outages when the power supply can’t keep up with demand. But today, B.E.L held a media session to shed some light on their efforts to boost capacity. Emmanuel Pech, B.E.L’s Senior Corporate Communications Officer, shared that one of their big moves is swapping out street lights for energy-efficient LED ones. He assured everyone that the company is taking steps to ensure they can meet the power demands by 2025.

Emmanuel Pech, Senior Corporate Communications Office, B.E.L.

“We know that energy has been a topic, uh, a heated topic in the media recently, particularly because of the year that we’ve had with all the challenges. But we want to reiterate that we remain optimistic that we will be able to meet our customers energy needs into 2025. Of course, 2025 won’t be without its challenges.”

Marion Ali

“What makes feel sure that what you have acquired or can acquire secure will meet 2025 demands?”

Emmanuel Pech

“Well, again, refer back to the presentation. As you may have heard, we are in a much better position today. We have improved by thirty-three percent our in country capacity, and we continue to implement different initiatives. To on the demand side management of things as you may have heard one of the projects we’re working on is the replacement off streetlights countrywide. To L. E. D. And that will that was just one example of the initiatives that we’re doing on the man’s side management. The other aspect of it is informing our customers with your help as well. of the media to, we had an energy management activity that you guys were able to participate in and could have acknowledged how. Different small initiatives that small acts at home or the office can create a big impact in reducing your overall demand. So it’s a combination of many things. BL has its plan. We are doing our part.”

National Aids Commission Celebrates World Aids Day

The National AIDS Commission celebrated World AIDS Day today in Belize City. Although the official date is December 1st, they held the event today since the first falls on a Sunday. This year’s theme is “Take the Rights Path.” We caught up with Enrique Romero, the Executive Director, to discuss some of their successes and the barriers that still exist in accessing services.

Enrique Romero, Executive Director, National Aids Commission

“World Aids Day is observed in December first every year and this year falls on a Sunday. So, we decided to observe it this year Friday under the theme “Take the Rights Path”, which focuses on human rights as a strategy, or as the need to make a significant dent on the HIV response. The Government of Belize has been providing medication free of cost now. Other commodities include condoms, lubricants and so forth. So, to end the HIV response will require strategies and innovative interventions that go beyond the biomedical approach. Evidence and data have shown that one of the key strategies to ending the epidemic is through a rights-based approach. In order to end aids, we need to eliminate all the barriers that prohibit persons from accessing services. In my presentation earlier I spoke about young men being affected by HIV and getting young men to access HIV services. Those are the things we need to ensure. In tandem with that we need to ensure we remove the barriers. For example, one of the critical barriers is the fact that young people consent to have sex at the age of sixteen, but they cannot access health service until they are eighteen. So that disparity creates a huge barrier.”

The Luxury of Handcraft

When we think of handcrafted items in Belize, luxury isn’t usually the first thing that comes to mind. Instead, we often see them as souvenirs—simple keepsakes rather than high-end, bespoke pieces that celebrate craftsmanship and exclusivity. However, in many parts of the world, luxury and handmade craftsmanship go hand in hand. The story behind each creation, the meticulous attention to detail, and the artistry involved add immense value to every piece. While mass-produced items focus on efficiency and affordability, custom, handmade creations stand out for their intentionality and unique value. This philosophy is at the core of Emilio Perrera’s business. He is dedicated to showcasing the luxury in handcrafted artistry, sharing the rich stories behind each piece, and promoting sustainability. Here’s more of what we discovered in this week’s look on the Bright Side.

Sabreena Daly, Reporting

Inside this lively studio, designer and artisan Emilio Perrera is fully absorbed in his work, carefully putting the finishing touches on his latest commissioned piece. The soft sound of history podcasts fills the air, perhaps guiding his thoughts as he reflects on a journey that started over a decade ago.

Emilio Perrera, Designer Artisan
“It started off as a men’s line and eventually a lot of people were asking me for gifts for their husbands, for their boyfriends, and it was mostly Belizeans. Like 80 percent of my customer-base was Belizean, and my workshop was in Antigua.”

Emilio Perrera’s journey began in Guatemala, where he pursued Civil Engineering at the university level. But it didn’t take long for him to find his true calling. He traded in blueprints and calculations for the deeply fulfilling craft of an artisan, where his passion could truly flourish.

Emilio Perrera
“I moved to Guatemala in 2009 to study civil engineering. And throughout that process, I realized it wasn’t for me. Um, there I moved to Lake Atitlan, and in Lake Atitlan, um, moving around with the different people that were living there. And Lake Atitlan is essentially an artisan, uh, how do you say, it’s like a plaza because it’s like a massive lake with volcanoes around, and there’s 12 villages around the lake. And each lake, each village is responsible for a certain craft. After a while, I realized I could do it on my own, so I branched off and started doing Emilio. It began as side projects because a lot of locals in Belize reached out to me in Guatemala asking for gifts, like wallets. I started as a men’s line, making things I liked—wallets, belts, shoes, bags. When I came back home, people saw my stuff and placed orders.”

Initially focused on men’s products and high-quality craftsmanship, Emilio found new opportunities for growth as women began requesting custom pieces. This broader audience helped the business thrive.

Emilio Perrera
“It took a turn when these women would ask me if I could make a bag? Can I do this? Can I do that? And then I was like, okay. When I started doing that, they were asking me for another color, and I realized there was something here. It was even more beautiful because, working with other handbag companies, I could see the creativity in material use. You could use fabrics, and now you can use an array of different materials in constructing these designs.”

Every part of Emilio Perera’s work is crafted by hand, from carefully choosing the materials to the intricate stitching of the leathers. His process is so detailed and precise that he can tell you the exact number of stitches in each piece, showcasing the dedication and craftsmanship that goes into every creation.

Sabreena Daly

“One of the things that really shocked me was when you said you don’t use a sewing machine. In this case, the handbag you just showed had 500 stitches, and those 500 stitches were done by hand.”

Emilio Perrera

“By hand. Yes. Yes.”

A decade later, after navigating growing pains and even an identity crisis, Emilio Perrera looks back and reflects on just how far he has come. His experiences beyond his home country and his deep appreciation for handmade work have shown him the true value and luxury that are often overlooked in handmade art.

Emilio Perrera
“I saw something out there and knew I could contribute in Belize because the luxury industry was changing and shifting, especially in Europe, Asia, and America, where societies were moving towards handmade products. Having been part of this industry for a long time and being involved in the conversations, I foresaw the future of handmade, and that future was green.”

Perrera puts sustainability at the core of his work, using raw materials sourced from all over the country. He believes this approach adds both value and uniqueness to his creations, allowing each piece to tell its own story.

Emilio Perrera

“I had to get creative with the materials and making these bags, so I started outsourcing and looking for other alternatives. I discovered a whole new dimension in the creative industry because the forest offers so much. We have all these heritage crafts and traditional skills that I didn’t even know existed. There are artisans hidden away, often known only by word of mouth or found on the side of the street. It was about going out, investigating, researching, and finding these people, then working with them over time to see how the materials complemented the designs I wanted. It’s not about the piece, but the process and the base materials it comes from. All these questions lead up to understanding where each part originates and the hands that made it—this is the ultimate luxury for me. I can trace where the leather comes from, where the coconut comes from, and the artisans who crafted it. The story behind each piece is what truly sells it and what matters most. This also ties into the sustainability factors, emphasizing the importance of knowing the production chain. Having full control over all of this meant I needed to base everything here.”

In the end, it’s the dedication to quality, sustainability, and storytelling that sets Emilio Perrera’s handmade creations apart. Each piece is more than just a luxury item; it’s a testament to rich heritage, exceptional craftsmanship, and a deep connection to the land and people of Belize. Looking on the Bright side, I’m Sabreena Daly.

Belize Remains Free of Screwworm, But Risks Loom

Belize remains free of the New World Screwworm, a pest that poses a significant threat to livestock, but authorities warn that the risk of an outbreak is growing. Minister of Agriculture Jose Abelardo Mai has been holding weekly meetings with his technical teams to monitor the rising number of cases in neighbouring countries. Following a meeting in Yo Creek Village, Minister Mai and BAHA Managing Director Zoe Robinson-Zetina provided updates on the situation.

Zoe Robinson-Zetina confirmed that Belize is currently free of screwworms but highlighted the importance of active surveillance. “We do not have screwworms in Belize, and we are going through active surveillance to ensure we know the health status of our country,” she said. She added that neighbouring Guatemala has reported 26 cases, including one in Petén, the closest to Belize. Meanwhile, Honduras is grappling with over 70 cases, despite efforts to control the spread.

The New World Screwworm burrows into the flesh of animals, causing severe, often fatal damage. Minister Mai outlined key preventive measures, including education and awareness, controlling the movement of animals, treating wounds promptly, reporting cases quickly, and dispersing sterile flies. “We are telling farmers now: you cannot have animals wounded on the farm. Treat it. If there are no wounds, the fly cannot lay eggs,” he said.

Belize’s cattle industry, valued at $100 million, is particularly vulnerable. Minister Mai expressed concern about the potential impact on cattle exports. He pointed out that a single case in Mexico recently led the United States to ban Mexican cattle imports, highlighting the economic risks Belize could face. “The resources the government has put towards screwworm control right now are more than what we get from the region. This is how serious the government is looking at this,” Mai stated.

BAHA has ramped up border surveillance, especially in unofficial crossing points like Jalacte and Bullet Tree.

While Belize’s strict measures are commendable, experts believe an outbreak is inevitable. “It is spreading so rapidly in Central America that we believe it will be introduced in Belize,” Robinson-Zetina said. The Ministry of Agriculture has drafted legislation to quarantine affected areas and deploy resources quickly if a case is detected.

Minister Mai described the worst-case scenario: “Block off Toledo, put control points in place.”

NICH Addresses Deer Dance Controversy

The National Institute of Culture and History (NICH) issued a statement regarding the latest Maya Deer Dance Costume controversy. Miss Universe Belize, Halima Hoy, used the Mayan Deer Dance costume in the Miss Universe 2024 Pageant held in Mexico City this earlier this month.

The Sarstoon Temash Institute for Indigenous Management (SATIIM) said in its statement, “Inspiration should not be used as an excuse for exploitation,” and further criticised that the Mayan traditional attire was reduced to mere “entertainment” and “desecrated” it for a beauty contest.

NICH said that it “acknowledges the concerns raised, especially regarding the cultural and spiritual significance of cultural traditions.”

“We understand the sensitivity surrounding the Deer Dance and are committed to ensuring that Belize’s rich heritage is represented in ways that honour its practitioners and communities,” said the Director of the Institute for Social and Cultural Research (NICH-ISCR), Rolando Cocom. “We are actively engaged with community leaders to better understand their perspectives and explore the ways forward to promote respect for cultural heritage and to foster collaboration.”

NICH said that it will be organising national forums to encourage discussions and collaboration among cultural advocates, stakeholders, and citizens who want to help safeguard Belize’s culture for future generations.

SATIIM Blasts Belize’s Deer Dance Display at Miss Universe

Man Fined for Illegal Possession of Forest Produce

A man has been fined over $2,000 for unlawful possession of timber after being caught with forest produce without a permit. On October 30, 2024, the Forest Department responded to an illegal logging report near Franks Eddy Village in the Cayo District, where they encountered Welfredo Cristales in possession of 15 pieces of Santa Maria flitches. The timber, measuring a total of 570 board feet, was confiscated.

Cristales was charged for the illegal possession of forest produce and appeared before the Belmopan Magistrate Court, where he pleaded guilty. He was fined $2,279.60, and the seized timber was forfeited to the Forest Department.

The Forest Department has reiterated its commitment to enforcing forest laws and has called on the public to assist in protecting Belize’s natural resources by reporting illegal activities, such as unlawful logging, wildlife trafficking, and other forest-related violations. They stress that safeguarding the country’s forests and biodiversity is a collective responsibility.

Anyone with information on forest crimes is encouraged to contact the Forest Department or visit their Facebook page at www.facebook.com/fdbelize.

Guatemalans Accused of Bribing and Surrounding BDF Soldiers at Machakilha

Closing the COVID-19 Learning Gap

Four years after the COVID-19 pandemic disrupted education worldwide, Belize’s Ministry of Education has taken a step to address the learning gaps that emerged during that time. All Saints Anglican Primary School in Belize City officially became a Doodle Learning school, receiving a donation of Chromebooks to fully implement the program. Designed to enhance students’ Math and English skills, the initiative marks an important stride in improving foundational learning post-pandemic.

Early primary education lays the groundwork for academic success, as children develop critical reading and comprehension skills during these years. However, the transition to online learning in 2020 due to the pandemic significantly affected students’ academic progress. Principal of All Saints Anglican, Collin Estrada, emphasised the impact: “During COVID, we lost some time even though we had online classes. And when we had done even our own internal assessments, we know that some students are behind. This program will aid in terms of being able to fill the gaps that are there so that our students will be able to be at level.”

The tablets, equipped with targeted lessons in Math and English, will initially benefit standard four students, with plans for current standard three students to use them in the following year. The program’s license ensures continuity for a year, offering students a structured way to catch up on critical areas of learning.

Minister of Education Francis Fonseca noted that students aged ten to twelve were among the most affected by the pandemic: “It also highlighted that in these foundational areas of math and language, reading, spelling, timetable—those things were specific areas that were weak. And those are obviously foundational subjects. So we had to come up with a plan to target that, and this is a part of that response.”

The Doodle Learning initiative is part of a broader response funded by the International Development Bank. It will extend to 6,000 students across seventy government and grant-aided schools over the next three years.