2024-04-10 - Channel 5 Belize

Ground Broken for Improvements at School in Gales Point Manatee

The quality of education for children in Gales Point Manatee is about to improve. Today, a groundbreaking ceremony was held for the construction of a brand-new preschool and the refurbishment of the existing primary school structure. The student population is a little under one hundred, but with students attending from surrounding communities and a new road, the school is anticipating some growth. News Five’s Paul Lopez travelled to the village today to find out more about the new project and how it will benefit the community.

Paul Lopez, Reporting

Gales Point Manatee is getting a brand-new preschool and a fully refurbished primary school in the community.

Dolores Balderamos-Garcia, Area Representative, Belize Rural South

“It is not a huge. I think has less than a hundred students. But we would like children from other communities to come here, for example Mullins River, Hope Creek and even from Dangriga, because some of the teachers are from those areas and the bus comes in everyday. But it is important for us to provide the top quality education for our children in this community. It being a rural community and I am very excited. The project has been in the making for about five years now. But the COVID pandemic really set us back for about two years. But we are very hopeful and confident that by December the Christmas present will be fully refurbished primary school and a brand new preschool.”

This morning a groundbreaking ceremony was held on the Gales Point Government School compound. The Belize Social Investment Fund made it possible. Executive Director Carlos Tun detailed what can be expected.

Carlos Tun, Executive Director, SIF

“One cornerstone of this project is the construction of a school building, meticulously designed to meet the standards outlined by international building codes and standards of the Ministry of Education. Spanning six hundred square feet, the facility will feature an open classroom, storage facilities, restroom for teachers and students, a shower facility and a covered verandah. With inclusivity, we will install an access ramp for individuals with physical disabilities, ensuring that every child has equal access. Furthermore, the preschool will be outfitted with essential toys and equipment, creating an enriching learning environment for our young leaders.”

Shermadine Andrewin has been an educator at the primary school for the past fifteen years. She says that the construction of a preschool will greatly increase access to early childhood education in her community. She also expressed the challenges the school faces with limited classrooms and teachers.

Shermadine Andrewin, Principal, Gales Point Government School

“I am very excited. I have been here for the past fifteen years and they haven’t been any renovations done to this government school. So I am excited to see we are getting a new preschool and we are getting our government school renovated and I think it wonderful.”

Paul Lopez

“What sort of challenges does it alleviate?”

Shermadine Andrewin

“In the past we had the dilapidated at the first preschool. We had animals, insects with the teachers and students within the building. We didn’t have our own bathroom and now we will have everything we deserve as teachers and students here at Gales Point Government School. We had multi grade and monograde because it is not only multi. We have infant one and two together, standard one and two together, and we have standard three, four, five and six separate.”

Reporter

“Are you hoping that one day the primary school will get more classrooms so everybody could have their own classrooms?”

Shermadine Andrewin

“Yes that would be very great and I am also a teacher principal. So it would be very good if I can only be an administrator or a teacher.”

And, according to Jason Altschaft, the Chairman of the village, the recently completed Coast Plain Highway has made access to the community and the school much easier for surrounding villages.

Jason Altschaft, Chairman, Gales Point Manatee Village

“The fact that enough people saw that this village is worthy of focused education on the young and growing community, that is priceless because we didn’t have to fight for it other than to stay up and say yes we want it, we want it, we want it. So, I think it is going to be excellent. We have always been known as a high population in youth because a lot of time parents had to go out and work and they would leave the children with the grandparents. That dynamic is now changing. With the road changing, it is going to allow more people to come and live back in the village and work and stay with the family.”

Reporting for News Five, I am Paul Lopez.

BelCan Bridge Needs Urgent Replacement

The BelCan Bridge, built by the Government of Canada several decades ago is in dire need of replacement as the structure is deteriorating over time. The Ministry of Infrastructure Development says that there is not much more work that can be done to refurbish the bridge because of its dire state. But the bridge should be replaced as soon as the government gives the go-ahead to welcome tendering for a new bridge at that location. Today, Chief Engineer with the Ministry of Infrastructure Development, Evondale Moody, told News Five that hopefully the project for that bridge will begin this year.

Evondale Moody, Chief Engineer, MIDH

“It’s a structure that really needs to be replaced. It’s more critical than Hawksworth. Definitely, because of the structure that is there. We have seen based on the assessment that we have done that the pairs that are there are at risk because of the spalling of the concrete from the piles. And so definitely that is a bridge structure that needs to be replaced. We had initiated the procurement process for that replacement structure. However, that was put on hold by the Ministry of Finance. And so at this point in time, we are currently awaiting a decision from them that we could proceed with the construction of that structure. So it’s not within the Ministry of Infrastructure’s decision right now to go ahead. We have to wait until we get a final decision from the Ministry of Finance, but it is a structure that urgently needs to be replaced.”

Hawkesworth To Be Closed for Six Months for Repairs

But the Hawkesworth Bridge that connects San Ignacio and Santa Elena can serve the public for another twenty-five years, according to Moody. But that will only be after the one-lane suspension bridge undergoes repairs. The Hawkesworth, which has been around since 1949, needs to undergo extensive work that will take six months. But Moody assures the public that the new bridge, which is a two-lane structure, is more than adequate to handle the traffic in the twin towns until the bridge is reopened again.

Evondale Moody, Chief Engineer, MIDH

“What the Ministry of Infrastructure did a few months ago was that we did an assessment of the existing Hawksworth bridge because we knew that It needed some kind of routine and periodic maintenance. And so what we did, we engaged a local consultant, Chias Engineering, for them to do an inspection and assessment of the bridge structure. As you’re aware, that bridge was opened, I think, in 1949. And so the structure itself is approximately 75 years old. Over time, the ministry has executed some repairs to the structure itself, mainly to the deck. However, at this point in time, we need to look at the main structure of, the bridge itself, which is the suspension structure, the cables, we have to look at the primary and secondary girders, we have to look at the deck for the vehicular traffic, and also the deck for the pedestrians. Based on the assessment that was carried out is recommended that we did some immediate. Periodic and maintenance works on that structure because we had some elements that are in need of critical maintenance. And so the idea was that we engage a contractor to do those works. So we went through a procurement process for us to engage a contractor. And that contractor that will be doing the works is Kyosteel Limited, and they will be supervised by Chia’s Engineering and also the MIDH. We have commenced some of those works under the bridge. However, it will take us more time for us to do the main and critical works that needs to be addressed on the suspension bridge itself. So in an effort to do those works and for safety as well we believe it was important for us to close the bridge structure for that duration, which is approximately six months, because they will be doing some sandblasting and other activities on the Structure where you will have workers working at high elevation, and so it’s important for us to keep your safety in mind and the safety of the motor in public as well that utilizes the bridge. And so in an effort to do that, the ministry thought it was critically important for us to close the structure, do those remedial works that needs to be done, and then reopen the structure once we’re completed.”

Bringing Youth At The Forefront Of Sustainable Development

Adolescents and youths are taking the stage to participate in national dialogues on the Sustainable Development Goals 2030 Agenda. On Saturday, the Ministry of Sustainable Development, and Climate Change, in partnership with the Ministry of Youth, Sport, and Transport and the United Nations, hosted the first-ever National Youth Conference on the Sustainable Development Goals that are anchored within the Voluntary National Review, VNR. The VNR is a process by which countries assess and take stock of the progress of the implementation of the developmental goals. Currently, there are seventeen developmental goals that Belize is aiming to assess in the 2024 VNR, as opposed to the four that were assessed in the previous review conducted in 2017. The conference was also used as a platform to initiate engagement with youths and allow them to advocate for and monitor the goals. We spoke with the Director of the Sustainable Development Unit at the Ministry of Sustainable Development and Climate Change for more information.

Victor Alegria, Director, Sustainable Development Unit, Ministry of Sustainable Development & Climate Change

“And so what we’re doing as part of this youth forum was to one, to be able to inform them of what the sustainable development goals are, the 2030 agenda’s principles and for them to be aware of what that means. And then second, to be able to come up with some statement, some position that the user actually want to share with us as part of that report, including that report in terms of where they stand in terms of the sustainable development. Their voices are important, and they’ve expressed that very clearly in that conference that we had. And so we want that to be reflected adequately in that respect. Very importantly, before we even went to this conference, one of the things that we did, we built capacity at least twelve young people across the country for them to be able to then inform and educate and build awareness to the 2030 agenda on the respective communities from PG down to Corozal up North. And so then they themselves began to make that movement. And so if you were there on Saturday, you would have seen that we had a significant participation, and we actually were able to participate and they were all engaged in the process, getting their sentiments, their views and all of that is important for the decision making process. And again, when we’re talking about youth, we’re talking about youth across not only the regions of the country, but also across ethnicity, religious belief, and in terms of vulnerability, in terms of handicapped and other incapacities, we want to make sure that when we take it up with the youth, we’re talking about everyone that is within that spectrum that participated in that event.”

Gas Prices Up, Taxi Drivers Roll With The Punches

Like many Belizeans who did not get the chance to refuel before this morning, you may have noticed a significant difference in the prices. That’s because the cost of regular gasoline increased by twenty-three cents while diesel went up by thirty cents. As changes in fuel are a significant factor in the livelihoods of taxi drivers, we spoke to some today, to hear how they are feeling about this increase. Several noted that they were unaware of the increase as they had not stopped for fuel for the day. Bue Albert Robinson, a Belize City taxi driver of over forty years, said there was nothing to be said about the increase, as it was all a part of the reality in Belize.

Britney Gordon
“How long have you been driving a taxi, sir?

Albert Robinson, Taxi Driver, Belize City
“Well, I started back in 1977. When I took off for about 8 years. I went to work with the Central Bank for free and the program for police for like five years and I came back here since then. So from about 1985 until now, I am operating the taxicab.”

Britney Gordon
“So how are you feeling about the recent change in gas prices last night, it went up about twenty-three cents for regular and thirty cents for diesel. How is this affecting you?”

Albert Robinson
“You know that you are telling me this. I didn’t know that it went up. Because one of the problems is that most of the time when gas prices fall, we know from the customers, because they want you to reduce your price too. They are telling you, oh, gas gone down, and you still charge the same fare, but then when it goes up, nobody remind you, and the thing with them, our business is not only gasoline, it’s wear and tear, plus you have to labor, you have to work, so you have to get some kind of income, from what you are making, and there’s nothing planted out here, you got to get out here, and do what you need to do, and it’s good that I give thanks to some people that really patronize me for who I am, you know, I respect them and I give them thanks all the time because, especially out here at Albert Street, most of the taxi people, if you leave anything in your, in their vehicle, you’re sure to get it back. You know what I mean? Once they are aware that it is in there, they’re sure to get it back. So it’s safe and we do, we try to do the best we could in keeping, upkeeping the vehicle. And it takes maintenance, not only gasoline, you have to spend on everything. I think taxi operators are the people that contribute the most when it comes to taxis and things like that. Because when we make the little fare from the taxi, When we shop and buy anything, we pay taxes. We have to license ourselves. We license the vehicle, insure the vehicle. So, where do we go from there? What do you understand from that? You know what I mean? And try to be as reasonable as possible with the fare. And try to be hospitable with the customers and give them thanks.”

Rotary Clubs Fund Tech Initiative for Belize Schools

During the COVID-19 crisis, Rotary Clubs in Belize and Port Moody developed a grant to install RACHEL computer labs, providing offline educational content to schools and the Belize Central Prison. The programme is now expanding to eleven schools with the aim of enhancing literacy and mitigating dropout rates through technology access. Through a collaborative effort, the Rotary Club of Belize, and the Rotary Club of Port Moody, supported by the Rotary Foundation, have committed two hundred and ten thousand Belize dollars to execute this impactful project. Each learning lab will comprise a RACHEL server, twenty Chromebooks, headphones, a monitor, and a storage cart or unit. Teacher and administrator training began this week in Belize City. News Five stopped by to find out more.

Ardeth McFadzean Kelly, Principal, Belize Rural Primary School

“One of the most things I’m excited about is seeing the children using the RACHEL program as they surf the different websites on their own and guided by the teacher. And as we evaluate their progress from where we start to, let’s say, maybe the end of the first cycle of the school year.”

Janeen St. Bernard, Principal, Lucky Strike Government School

“I am really enjoying the training. The experience is great because we’re introduced to this program where we have many resources that we can take back to the classroom and to the teachers. And it will enhance learning in a whole with our students.”

Glen Brown, Rotary Club of Port Moody

“We implemented the pilot project at the Belize Central Prison just prior to COVID. So what was really interesting about that project is that we essentially gave the inmates there and the staff, the equipment, the Rachel server and Chromebooks with relatively minimal direction. But one of the things that we know about learning is that you provide students, adults, with tools and information and they discover it for themselves. And so there really was a process of discovery at the prison with the inmate tutors learning how some of the systems within Rachel would work. And, and really started to advance and to use those things at a very high level.”

Katherine Meighan, President, Rotary Club of Belize

“So I should add that this is the first part of a wider project because there’s more we’re going to be seeing of you good people. It’s really starting off with 11 schools. It’s a nice project, good size. It gives us an opportunity to then train teachers and administrators and also work very closely with the Ministry of Education to make sure that this project is working the way we want. Examples of the 11 schools, and it’s a mix from the Belize district area, or Belize rural area, and Belize city as well. Examples include Lucky Strike, we also have Biscayne. We also have Belize Rural. These are examples of schools that will get access to the Rachel Program. Additionally, we have a few in the city. They include St. Ignatius School, St. John’s Anglican. We also have Unity Presbyterian, Salvation Army and I’m also excited that we were able to add in that 11th school, and that’s Stella Marris. Because we know the age ranges at Stella Marris is wider. We are adding additional programs, for instance. It’s a tool that can be used to support cooking programs, sewing programs, things that could think things that can help and support the young persons, whether they’re five years old or whether there are 15 years old, right? So it’s a really amazing tool that can teach literate literature. Literacy, math, English grammar so much.”

Peggy The Turtle Heads Back To America For Mating Season

Peggy the Loggerhead turtle is on her way to the U.S.A., and Belizeans are cheering her on in real-time. Peggy was tagged in 2023 by the environmental NGO, MarAlliance. She is one of three turtles, and the only female, currently being tracked and observed as they navigate through their migration period for mating season. Kirah Foreman Castillo, National Coordinator of MarAlliance, told us that tracking the movements and habits of these turtles plays a significant part in their preservation, as the research exposes challenges the animals face as they attempt to migrate.

Kirah Foreman Castillo, National Coordinator, MarAlliance
“So one of the things about sea turtles is that they tend to migrate across borders. They don’t, they tend to live in one area, they feed in another, they feed in that area and then when it comes to reproduction, to mating, they often leave. We know a lot about that turtles migrate between the Caribbean, within the Mesoamerican region where we’re located. But we weren’t quite sure what was going on with our population. Where are they going? We know that we have turtles coming from other regions, to nest on our shores, but what’s going on with the Belizean turtles, those that live and forage within our water. So we decided to undergo this like tagging program. At the moment we have three turtles tracking. First of all, we were kind of prioritizing males because we know a lot about females, but we didn’t know about males. So Peggy was kind of our lucky female to get a tag and glad that we did because we would have never had known that our females are not only our males are moving but our females are still going across borders. And one of our focuses to looking at the males is that we know a lot about where the females are going. Because they go to nesting beach, because of their life cycle, they have to go to their natal beach. So they need to, wherever they’re born, this is where they go back to when it comes to nesting. So more than likely Peggy was born somewhere, if she goes to the U.S., everybody’s guess so far is Florida. If she goes to Florida, whichever beach she lands on, this is where she was born, this is where she was hatched. As a hatchling and then they go off into their adult habitat where they live and where they feed, which we know is Belize, and the females will go back to their natal beach. That is very important for us to note when it comes to management of the sea turtles, because oftentimes we have a lot of development occurring. You can imagine getting back to your beach now and you have a seawall. And this is where you have to go and nest, you know, and then you’re not able to access that beach. So, either they find another suitable site, or a lot of times they’ll just discard the eggs into the water because they cannot access their nesting beaches. So it takes about twenty years for a female to return back. We know that Peggy is an adult. She is at reproductive age. She’s probably already over fifty because of her size but it takes about twenty years for them to become reproductive.”