During today’s ceremony in Caye Caulker to celebrate the island’s new water treatment plant, Prime Minister John Briceño made an unexpected move. He paused the event and asked for a restart because the attendees weren’t singing along to Belize’s national anthem. Once the music stopped, students from Caye Caulker R.C. Primary School and Ocean Academy were invited to lead the anthem alongside the prime minister. We spoke with him after the event, where he explained why he felt it was important to correct the audience.
Prime Minister John Briceno
“I think I want to start off by what I said at the beginning. love of country. It really upsets me that people don’t want to sing the National Anthem. I always say we love beliefs, but show it. Sing the National Anthem, pick up the garbage, show by practice how much you love this country. And it’s important for us to inculcate that in our children. That’s why I, if you notice when I started, I said, let’s stop, let’s start again. We have to do that at all times. You, the media, also should call out, whenever that may happen, Hey, you need to sing the national anthem. Show how proud you are of this country.”
Today was a big day for the folks in Caye Caulker Village. They celebrated the arrival of two notable upgrades to their water services. Belize Water Services Limited, along with the Government of Belize, kicked off the construction of a brand-new wastewater treatment facility and expanded the island’s reverse osmosis plant. We were there to catch all the action and find out how these new amenities will make life better for everyone on the island. Here’s News Five’s Britney Gordon with the scoop.
Britney Gordon, Reporting
Around two thousand people call the beautiful island of Caye Caulker home. With tourism booming, it’s more important than ever to have reliable water and wastewater services to keep everyone’s quality of life top-notch. That’s why the Government of Belize and Belize Water Services have teamed up to expand the island’s reverse osmosis plant and build a new wastewater treatment facility. Executive Chairman Cornelio Acosta Jr. shares how the reverse osmosis plant is making a big difference for the community.
Cornelio Acosta Jr
Cornelio Acosta Jr, Executive Chairman, BWS
“Every year we have challenges in Caye Calker in meeting demand. The island consumes about two hundred and one thousand gallons per day. And what we could have previously met was around one hundred and ninety gallons. In other words, we’re meeting ninety-five percent of the daily demand of the island. The board management and of course the government ave prioritized the need in meeting these scarcities that we’ve been facing. So we had done a more analysis and had proceeded to purchase a one hundred fifty desalination plant, which would then give us a capacity now of up to three hundred thousand gallons per day meeting well enough what is the demand, at least for now, to the next ten to fifteen years.”
As the temperatures climb, so does our thirst. Thanks to a $1.5 million investment in the plant’s expansion, Belize Water Services (BWS) is now delivering clean, better-tasting tap water to everyone on the island. Prime Minister John Briceño shared some exciting news too—there are plans to roll out this system across the entire country.
Prime Minister John Briceño
Prime Minister John Briceño
“They got new equipment, a salt system that removes the taste of chlorine so that the water is safe, but it mi got wa lee bad aftertaste. Now with this one, it’s a pilot project here, and in the crooked tree. And now, as you notice, I’m sure you all tasted the water. It is good, so you don’t have to go buy water. So you could save a lot of money for our citizens. That project now, through an IDB loan that we’ve been working on, we’re going to go now into more and more of our communities to be able to install that so that they could also use the portable water to drink and not just to bathe and wash dishes and so forth.”
Ground was also broken for a new forty-million-dollar wastewater treatment plant and collection system. Acosta explains that it is necessary to begin working on this facility now so that the company can continue to provide water services in the long term.
Cornelio Acosta Jr
“One of the strategies that BWS has undergone now is looking at redundancies and contingency plans, a lot of the times we rely primarily on our single source, for example, Belize District, on the river and we have several systems that are direct production to distribution. Caye Caulker has a storage facility, but if something were to happen to the plant like last year, we had some challenges the plant went down right during the easter period And it created challenges for us. So we decided you know what it’s time to have a redundancy plan having us an alternate site that could also provide storage in the event that there is a natural disaster occurring or that the plant may need to undergo some time that it will be going down and we’ll have enough capacity to withstand and provide to the caye.”
After the inauguration, Prime Minister Briceno and the BWS team visited the Caye Caulker R.C. Primary School and Ocean Academy High School where they awarded grants of five thousand dollars to assist children with their school fees.
Prime Minister John Briceño
“What BWSL did they give a grant of five thousand dollars. They spoke with the principal to point out those that need that can’t be making their fees. And so the principal will be making those paying those fees on behalf of BWSL for both primary school and high school. I have also made a commitment. I’m going to give them another five thousand \ through the chairlady of the village with miss Pott, and she will work with the principal to ensure that we get it to the children that need it. And it’s important for us to be able to give the proper support to our children, to be able to learn and not have to be worrying whether they are going to be sent home because they can’t pay their fees.”
As we dive deeper into the world of unconventional education, we’ve been captivated by some unique teaching styles that haven’t quite hit the mainstream in Belize yet. One standout is the Montessori method. Even though Doctor Maria Montessori introduced this approach back in the early 1900s, it’s only found a home in one school here. But that’s starting to change as more parents discover the incredible benefits and the special kind of empowerment it offers their kids. This week, we’re excited to take you on a tour of the Children’s House at Mother of Mercy Montessori. Let’s jump into the story.
Sabreena Daly, Reporting
The Montessori method is all about meeting students where they are, adapting to their unique learning pace and style. Developed by Dr. Maria Montessori in the early 1900s, this approach was truly ahead of its time. It uses sensory experiences to guide learning, helping kids build confidence and feel empowered. Globally, it’s a popular choice for many, known for its hands-on learning, focus on key developmental stages, and deep respect for each child’s individuality. But here in Belize, Montessori is still a bit of a novelty. We took a trip to Mother of Mercy Montessori, the only school in the country that formally embraces this innovative system.
Alma Habet
Alma Habet, Lead Guide, Mother of Mercy Montessori
“We’ve been here for about six years now. This is our sixth year. And we’ve started with a daycare, and then we’re building, we’re moving to primary and lower elementary and upper elementary.”
Sabreena Daly “In the Montessori method, I’m inside what is considered a child’s house. When compared to the traditional teaching system here in Belize, this would be deemed a classroom. And what we call teachers, a Montessori school refers to as guides.”
Alma Habet, the lead guide at Mother of Mercy Montessori, has the wonderful task of nurturing children of all different ages. Her calm and welcoming demeanor creates a space where the unique personalities of each child can flourish. With gentle encouragement, she leans over and invites a student to join her in a sentence-writing lesson, fostering a love for learning in the process.
Alma Habet “Children are not interested in always telling them what to do and they’re capable of so much more. So we have small rooms where a child can do exactly what an adult is doing. That they need respect. We need to give them that dignity that every human person needs to have. So, once a child has that and they are followed, they’re observed. We know where to meet them. They come from different backgrounds. They have different experiences. So they all bring this together in the children’s house.”
Rosaline Bradley has been instrumental in bringing this forward-thinking educational method to life. With her extensive experience in Belize’s education system, she passionately underscores the value of the Montessori approach and its transformative potential for how children in Belize learn and grow.
Rosaline Bradley
Rosaline Bradley, First Chair, Mother Of Mercy Montessori
“One of the values that I noticed is that it’s very hands-on. And so the students make their choices and they have to stay on an activity for a length of time. And so with that, they develop that skill of learning on their own and persevering, whatever it is that they want to learn. What are some of the difficulties? Working through challenges, making decisions, choices, and so on. And I think that’s one of the things that even in the regular school as a teacher educator, one of the things that I encourage teachers to do is to not just talk to students, but students learn by doing.”
Alma Habet
“So they get everything that they need as a traditional school, except it’s just done in a different way. So, instead of maybe just using books, if they’re going to do a science experiment, they’re actually going to go outdoors and do the real experiment. It’s not going to just be like reading off from a book or studying or memorizing.”
With more students joining every year, this young school is gearing up to grow alongside its children as they move up to higher grades. They’re committed to continuing their journey with the Montessori method, nurturing each child’s development every step of the way. Parents have cited the positive impacts on their children’s development. One of these parents even mentioned that she chose Mother of Mercy Montessori for her youngest child after experiencing the benefits of Montessori education with her older children abroad.
Jocelin Carvajal
Jocelin Carvajal, Parent, Mother of Mercy Montessori “I love it. I already told my husband I want my kids to stay there all the way to the elementary position because I have seen them grow and it is just so amazing. I am surprised.”
Tanya Hulse
Tanya Hulse, Parent, Mother of Mercy Montessori “I remember when I had first gone to a Montessori school, they gave you a whole list of assessments that your child would be able to meet at the end of each program. And so it wasn’t just like learning ABC’s or coloring, there was a whole list of things that they give to you. So I was very happy. And my older children had a very, very good experience. So when I realized that they had a Montessori school here as well, and then those children have grown up and now I have little ones,I thought, you know, it would be perfect.”
Alma Habet
“I think if they want something different, if they’re willing to learn the method, it would be a great step forward because the children can have better critical thinking and even speak out when they need to. They have freedom with boundaries, so we still need to discipline, but it’s more of a respectful way, not what the guide wants or what the parent wants only. So there’s a lot of sacrifice on the part of the adult.”
Looking on the Bright Side, Im Sabreena Daly
If you are interested in learning more about the Mother of Mercy Montessori, you can contact info@motherofmercymontessori.com or call 223-7073
Tonight, we have a developing story that’s shaken the community of Louisville, Corozal which is located approximately twenty-five miles away from the Belize/Mexico border. Luis and Johan Camara, a father and son, were kidnapped in the Subteniente Lopez area of Chetumal, Quintana Roo on Tuesday. On Wednesday evening, Veronica Camara, Luis’ sister and Johan’s aunt, took to Facebook with a heartfelt video appeal, sharing details about the incident and pleading for any information that could help bring her loved ones home safely. Unfortunately, for her own safety, Veronica has since locked her account, making the video no longer accessible to the public. In her post, Veronica recounted how the kidnapping unfolded and urged anyone with information to come forward. The forty-eight-year-old father and his nineteen-year-old son were with another family member, Luis’ daughter and Johan’s sister, when they were taken. News Five’s Marion Ali visited Louisville today and spoke with villagers who are in shock over this unprecedented incident. Here’s her report.
Voice of: Veronica Camara
Voice of: Veronica Camara, Sister & Aunt of Kidnap Victims
“Upon reaching Susteniente, they were intercepted by armed men. Johan managed to reverse and drive past the parked vehicle. The assailants gave chase to my nephew and started to shoot after him. Johan managed to reach the spot where he was supposed to meet my brother, Luis Josue. But by then, the assailants managed to reach the spot too.”
Marion Ali, Reporting
In an emotional audio post on Facebook, Veronica Camara shared the harrowing details of what happened to her nephew, nineteen-year-old Johan Camara, a student at Instituto Tecnologico Maya. Johan was traveling with his sister in a pick-up truck in Chetumal to get some money for gas so he could make it to school. But things took a terrifying turn when they reached the Subteniente Lopez area. A group of men attacked Johan, and when his father, Luis Camara, tried to intervene, he was also forcibly taken. Veronica explained that Johan’s sister, who witnessed the whole ordeal, was able to seek help immediately.
Voice of: Veronica Camara
“Johan was forced out of his vehicle and forced to get in the assailant’s car at gunpoint. Upon seeing his son forced into the vehicle, my brother tried to stop them, but he was threatened and pushed into the vehicle with his son. The assailants then left, heading to the direction of Chetumal. A call was made to 9 11, but they did not show up to render help to my niece, who was left behind. It was then that we headed to the attorney general’s office in Chetumal, Quintana Roo, where they gave us prompt assistance in the missing person report and publish the notice of the missing persons.”
We spoke with two Louisville residents who are left stunned by the news of the kidnapping. One of them saw the father in the village just hours before he disappeared.
Arnaldo Chan
Arnaldo Chan, Louisville Resident
“What happened to him, this is not usual because we as neighbors of Chetumal, we always go and come right and we go and buy and it affect us in the way that we are now afraid.”
Voice of: Louisville Resident
“I saw him the day when he went missing, I saw him around 10 o’clock, right here in front of the polyclinic with the Chinese man, he went to buy, that was around 10, 10:30. He just wave his hand saying hello, just as if nothing was expected on that day.”
Luis Camara is described as always willing to assist in the village.
Voice of: Louisville Resident
“We know them from long, long time and they have been kidnapped. Proven community members that they could help. When there was need within the community village council, they were asked for assistance, and they never said no.”
Back in Louisville, the community is reeling with shock and fear. Neighbors and fellow villagers are calling the situation “unsettling,” and many are now worried about their own safety when crossing the border. So far, the family hasn’t received any updates from the Mexican authorities about where their loved ones might be. They’ve only been told that the search is ongoing. Veronica Camara is pleading with the public for any help they can offer.
Voice of: Veronica Camara
“Assist in circulating the missing person report of my brother and nephew. The people who know our family knows that we are hardworking, honest and humble people. We plead to the governor. Mara Lisama to continue to help our family, to bring back my brother and nephew alive and safe. We ask the Belizean government to reach out to help our family. Abolition family that need their assistance as citizens of Belize.”
Luis Camara is a truck driver and his son, Johan, has been studying agriculture for the past four years in Mexico. Marion Ali for News Five.
There’s an ongoing investigation into the tragic murder of a Belize City man on Wednesday night on Reggae Street. Police responded to a call just after seven p.m. and found the lifeless body of thirty-five-year-old Floyd Hyde, who had been stabbed multiple times and was lying in a pool of blood in the yard. Initial reports indicate that Hyde had left home to go to the store. About fifteen minutes later, a family member heard a commotion in the yard and called the police. Moments later, another family member found Hyde’s motionless body next to the house. He was rushed to the hospital, where he was pronounced dead. Why was Hyde targeted? There are rumors that his murder might be connected to an ongoing rivalry in the area, but the police have yet to confirm a motive.
Belize City residents, twenty-year-old Janiece Augustine and her twenty-four-year-old sister, Janiene Augustine, are set to stand trial for arson. The sisters were charged for allegedly setting fire to a home in Crooked Tree Village back in July 2022. The wooden house was valued at thirty thousand dollars, and the household items inside were worth two thousand dollars. This week, their case wrapped up a preliminary inquiry before a Senior Magistrate, and it’s now headed to the High Court for trial in January 2025. During the inquiry, the police prosecutor presented over thirty witness statements to support the charges against the sisters. Interestingly, they weren’t charged with arson until two years later, on April twelfth, following directives from the DPP. Today, they were granted bail of eight thousand dollars each, with two sureties of four thousand dollars each, which they managed to meet by the end of the day. On top of that, Janiece picked up an additional charge for aggravated assault with a dangerous instrument—a hammer—related to an incident on September thirtieth. She pleaded not guilty and was granted bail of two thousand dollars, which she also met. Janiece is due back in court on December second.
Two weeks ago, the results of the Belize Survey 2024 were released and shared with the public by the media. This annual survey examines various aspects of Belizean life, such as crime, the economy, corruption, and politics. Earlier today, a press conference was held to discuss the survey’s findings. The principal of Viking Strategies kicked things off by explaining how they gathered the information. This year, the survey includes new data on cartel-related crimes, adding a fresh and important dimension to the analysis.
Trygve Olson
Trygve Olson, Viking Strategies
“They have a pattern where first one, they go the right, then they go to the left and then we collect it via online, via mobile phones and tablets. So the questions are being asked and they are responding. We can see the GPS location of where they are, which is one check. In addition to that, it tells them, say we’re only running into men who are fifty years and older, once the quota gets filled it will be telling them that the next set of interviews they need to be doing younger women or grandmothers or whatever. So it ends up being that the survey is balanced nationally for gender, age, racial breakdown and demographic breakdown, and then, of course, for regions of Belize. The biggest concerns of Belizeans in the fifteen years that we’ve been doing surveys down here are always one of three things. They’re always either economic, which could fall under a few different pockets: jobs, prices and just general economic issues, there’s crimes which ebbs and flows. Sometimes, like in 2014 or now, it’s seen as a huge problem, and the last one is government corruption. We ask about other issues, but it is always some combination of the three of those for about ninety percent of Belizeans. Right now, crime is ascending. I was talking with one of you about a kidnaping that had occurred up in Corozal. What is new in the survey this time which we had not seen in the past as was mentioned in various ways, is this sort of cartel-related crime.”
The high cost of living continues to be a major concern for Belizeans, chipping away at their economic confidence. While the findings show that Belizeans are doing better year after year, the rising prices and cost of living are really hitting their wallets hard.
Trygve Olson
Trygve Olson, Viking Strategies
“Declining economic confidence. So the cost of living, inflation and economic inequality is a significant issue for many Belizeans. What is unique, though, is in all the times that we have done surveys here in Belize, people are better off, actually feel better off about their ability to provide basics for their families, pay the electric bill, food, clothes than they have at any other point that we’ve been doing surveys. But what’s really taking a toll on Belizeans, and this won’t surprise you as Belizeans, is rising prices and cost of living. While people feel like they’re doing better, they also don’t feel like it’s keeping up. As somebody who’s worked on a lot of campaigns around the world, I would say if you had a president who ran just on a popular vote where party is less important, anybody could run, this is a country where you have a third of the population, they might consider somebody who’s outside of the two parties, if it were the right candidate. That is only going to grow. There eventually will be an election where either those voters will stay home en masse or they rise up and sort of go with it and it’s an interesting dynamic for the two parties because at some point, if voters are demanding it, the question will be, you know, they’re still sort of tied to that structure as it was. Which party sort of evolves to that new reality and starts to represent them will be the party, at some point, it may not be this election maybe the next, but it’s going to have some tremendous success with a very different coalition than has previously been winning coalitions.”
The Government of Belize is hosting a two-day Strategic Alliances International Partners Conference to boost dialogue with development partners and enhance collaboration on sustainable growth initiatives. The event, themed “Unlocking Climate Finance and Disaster Risk Financing for Sustainable Development,” kicked off with remarks from Minister Francis Fonseca and Chief Executive Officer in the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Amalia Mai. Prime Minister John Briceño also addressed the audience, speaking for thirty minutes to Belize’s diplomatic core. While much of his speech resembled a Plan Belize address, he did touch on climate change and its impacts on Belize towards the end.
Prime Minister John Briceño
“I can’t describe it in words of how grateful I am, my Cabinet and by extension the people for what you have done. But we still have more challenges. Every day and week in Cabinet the ministers are saying, we need to extend electricity here, we need a clinic here, we need more roads, housing, and the list can go on. And this is where you can continue to play this role, this partnership of mutual respect and having the same objectives, that the issues of climate change, of which we had nothing to do with climate change. We are doing our part, but the developed countries haven’t. And it is unfortunate that a hurricane like what went through Florida is starting to raise more awareness in minds of people. They are saying that hold on this thing is really serious. Finally, the developing countries are talking about loss and damage, you all are talking about preparing to have a fund. All of that we had we only need one hurricane, and we could lose fifty percent of GDP, God forbid. I use to hate speaking when I was the minister of environment about adaptability. Why should we adapt, we have not caused this problem. The reality is we have to adopt.”
The dreaded hurricane that Florida residents were bracing for has finally passed, but not without causing significant devastation. At least twelve lives were lost, many more people are now homeless, and millions are without power. The hurricane made landfall near Siesta Key, Florida, late Wednesday evening as a Category Three storm, packing winds of one hundred and twenty miles per hour. It uprooted trees and knocked down light poles, causing widespread power outages along Florida’s Gulf Coast. Many Belizeans living in the storm’s path were affected. While there have been no reports of Belizean casualties, many are now beginning the arduous task of cleaning up and repairing their damaged homes. Before hitting land, the hurricane had intensified to a Category Five in the Gulf of Mexico but weakened just before making landfall. It dumped over ten inches of rain in some parts of Florida, with other areas receiving an additional eight to twelve inches.
