Reports reaching News 5 indicate that the Belize National Teachers’ Union (BNTU) has voted overwhelmingly to hold demonstrations in January 2025. The decision was made following a meeting held today, December 4, where members expressed frustration over delayed increments, allowances, and salary upgrades. According to reports, 1,882 of the 1,916 members who voted supported the move to demonstrate.
This follows an emergency meeting of the BNTU Council of Management on December 3 in Belmopan, where Chief Education Officer Yolanda Gongora participated virtually. She provided updates on the Ministry of Education’s efforts to address the backlog and outlined key challenges.
A tragic incident occurred on Wednesday morning in San Ignacio, where a teenager was shot and killed. The victim has been identified as seventeen-year-old Huard Ramirez. According to police, Ramirez entered a trailer in the Boiton area without permission. When the property owner, forty-four-year-old Juan Gonzalez, arrived, he found Ramirez trying to exit through a window. Gonzalez told police that when he confronted Ramirez, the teenager allegedly picked up a piece of wood and tried to attack him. In response, Gonzalez says he drew his weapon and fired a single shot at Ramirez. News Five’s Paul Lopez traveled west to find out more about this incident.
Huard Ramirez
Paul Lopez, Reporting
Seventeen-year-old Huard Ramirez from San Ignacio tragically lost his life on Wednesday morning in the Boiton area. According to reports, Ramirez was allegedly trying to burglarize a container being used as a warehouse when the owner caught him in the act. In the ensuing confrontation, the owner shot Ramirez.
Voice of: Mother of Deceased
“He was a nice person, kind, funny person.”
His mother is devastated. She requested that her identity be concealed for safety reasons. Contrary to a report from police that only one shot was fired, Ramirez’s mother says her son was shot three times.
Voice of: Mother of Deceased
Voice of: Mother of Deceased
“I just love my son; I just love my son. Why he had to do that? He didn’t have to shoot him in the face, only on the foot. That really hurt me, and I don’t know what else they did him. I don’t know. All of us cared for him and we loved him. No matter how, all of us makes mistakes, the rich the poor, all of us makes mistakes.”
Paul Lopez
“What did you understand he was doing back there?”
Voice of: Mother of Deceased
“He told me he is going to work. And he come and bring me lee money and I appreciate what he do for me. But, they didn’t have to do that to my son, at least shoot him on his foot, or call me and tell me mih son eena the property and I could go help, or call the police.”
Ramirez collapsed just a short distance from the container as he tried to flee. A blood-stained patch of grass marks the spot where he took his last breath. His death has ignited conversations about poverty and desperation. Coming from a family living on the edge of poverty, Ramirez often took on small jobs to help support his household. We spoke with Rita Defour, the Manager at Corner Stone Foundation, an NGO that supports marginalized children through a feeding program. She first met Ramirez when he joined the program in primary school.
Rita Defour
Rita Defour, Manager, Corner Stone Foundation
“They came to Corner Stone and we had a conversation with the mom and we heard found out that they needed to go on the feeding program and we put all of them on the feeding program.”
Defour shared her memories of Huard with us, following a heartfelt message she posted on Facebook. She urged people not to judge him, explaining that he was a broken young man with no one to turn to. “Tired of being providers when they are just a child,” Defour wrote.
Rita Defour
“It hurts because we have so many children that are falling through the cracks of life, because they are not getting the help they need. People say oh he is a little thief. They need to see the bigger picture, because he comes from generational poverty. The only thing he knew, the only thing that Howard knew was that he had to survive in this world and he had to help his little sisters survive. That is what he knew. He knew nothing else. He use to come right at this gate like every two weeks and he use to say Ms. Rita we have nothing to eat. And I use to take money out my bag and give him. We use to take groceries out of our pantry and give him. I know a lot of people judge him and they will continue to judge him, because they don’t know what that family in going through and I have a lot of family going through the same thing.”
Despite his family’s dire financial situation, Ramirez had previous run-ins with the law. In January 2023, at just fifteen years old, he was accused of being part of a group that robbed two women in the Kontiki area. However, this time, Ramirez lost his life. His mother claims there was a history between the property owner and their family.
Voice of: Mother of Deceased
“And they had no right to kill my son like that. If they had something why deh nuh come tell me. I dah the mah, talk to me.”
Paul Lopez
“People are saying your son should not have been in the container.”
Voice of: Mother of Deceased
“Yes, I understand, but like how I told you, nobody perfect, everybody do mistakes in this world. Each one do mistakes. So if people think so they perfect, they wrong, really wrong, only god perfect.”
Rita Defour
“I have been doing this work for eighteen years and it pains my heart when I see kids like that just die so senseless because I know Howard was a smart little boy and he could have been somebody great.”
Paul Lopez
“I see that you mention in your Facebook post that what he did was wrong.”
Rita Defour
“Yes what he did was wrong, but he never should have reached to that point. But, a lot of kids go to that point just to survive. That is what people have to understand, they will reach that point because they want to survive.”
Tragically, one of the four people from Caye Caulker who were seriously injured in a van accident last Friday passed away this morning in Belize City. Alex Bainton died just as he was about to undergo a CT scan at the K.H.M.H. Meanwhile, a teacher who was also in the van is in Guatemala with severe spinal injuries. On a brighter note, a third student who was in an induced coma is showing signs of improvement, and the fourth student, who also suffered serious injuries, is reportedly on the mend. News Five’s Marion Ali was in Caye Caulker today and has more on this story.
Marion Ali, Reporting
The student body at Ocean Academy High School in Caye Caulker is in shock and mourning today after the tragic death of their peer, eighteen-year-old Alex Bainton. He succumbed to severe head trauma from a horrific traffic accident on the Philip Goldson Highway last Friday evening. The team was on their way to Orange Walk for a basketball game when the accident happened. While the family and school authorities were unavailable for interviews, News Five spoke with Caye Caulker Chairlady, Seleny Villanueva Pott. She has been in close contact with Alex’s family and the high school. She shared that the news of his passing has deeply shaken the students, many of whom needed support this morning.
Seleny Villanueva Pott
Seleny Villanueva Pott, Chairlady, Caye Caulker
“We later found out that several students had to be taken over to the community centre. A couple of them had passed out, a couple of them had breathing issues. It’s just the heaviness of the news losing a teammate, a classmate. The past couple of days have been really hard and I believe the pressure of the news they couldn’t bear.”
Villanuella Pott encourages everyone to reach out to her via Fecebook Messenger if you wish to assist the survivors of the accident or Bainton’s family who must now lay him to rest and still pay a huge medical bill. On Wednesday night, the Caye Caulker community came together for a heartfelt prayer vigil, walking through the streets in support of the four accident victims. This close-knit community has been rallying around the Bainton family and the other victims, showing incredible solidarity since the tragic incident. Businesswoman Lee Vanderwalker is spearheading a fundraising effort to help cover funeral costs and provide support to the victims.
Lee Vanderwalker
Lee Vanderwalker, Fundraiser Director
“We’ve been able to raise enough funds to get the initial medical care started and some of the students who were hospitalized in Orange Walk, most of them have been able to go home. However, there are ongoing issues with them with broken bones and other things that are coming up as a result of the accident. We’ve been able to get Mr. Zuniga medivacced to Guatemala City for his spinal surgery because he’s paralyzed. It’s affecting his breathing. And then initially, I believe that several of the worst cases were taken to Healthcare Partners and Medical Associates, and then they were moved to K.H.M.H. So there are still a lot of outstanding bills, even though we’ve raised a considerable amount of money, we need to raise more.”
Ocean Academy, the high school where Bainton attended classes, as well as Anda De Wata Tours, where he worked in his spare time, have issued press releases since his passing. The tour company said Bainton was more than just the youngest member of their dive team, he was a hero in the making, with an unshakable passion for sea life, a tireless work ethic, and a character marked by integrity and kindness. Ocean Academy’s release states that Bainton, who was known by his friends as “footy”, radiated light, love, kindness and joy to everyone he knew, and he filled every room with his bright smile and positive energy. He was awarded one of the school’s most prestigious annual awards, the Ka’Ana OA Outstanding Student Award, for exceptional, positive, and resilient leadership on campus. Marion Ali for News Five.
Anyone who would like to help the injured or Bainton’s family can make donations in Caye Caulker to Atlantic Bank account: 100 073 949. They can also make donations to Atlantic Bank account in the name of Ocean Academy High School. That account number is: 100 299 151. International donors can help through Paypal at: www.paypal.com/np/ncp/payment/NMPUE4UU45KV4
Tonight, a mother is feeling both relieved and worried. Her child managed to escape from a man who tried to abduct her on Monday evening, but the fear that he might still be out there haunts her. Estrella Novello shared with News Five that her daughter was heading to a party that evening. She sent her ahead on her bicycle while she finished getting ready. As the little girl reached the lane, a stranger ambushed her and started leading her away, talking to her. He even offered the ten-year-old money to go with him. A Facebook post from someone close to the family expressed sorrow over the incident and frustration that the man escaped on a boat before the police could arrest him. The mother is worried he might come back. She shared with News Five how her little girl managed to get away.
Estrella Novelo, Mother of Kidnap
“The man was on the corner, my daughter says and it was there that he called her. She stopped and he asked her name and her age. She told him. and then she says she wanted to turn back, but he didn’t let her. He hugged her around the neck and took her a distance from his corner to the school. Then our friend who was leaving for work saw them and yelled at him asking, where he was taking the girl. And he let her go and told her that he had known the girl for 10 years. But he had just asked her this information, how old she was. So our friend”
Forty-seven-year-old Joshua Ashburn, an American living in Belize, is in even deeper trouble tonight after being slapped with multiple charges for alleged immigration offenses. On Monday, November eighteenth, Ashburn’s business, Double Zero on Western Avenue, was raided by officers who found a large stash of cannabis, a firearm, ammunition, and various immigration documents. While he’s already been arraigned and remanded for drug trafficking and firearms possession, today he was hit with five counts of possessing false documents and five counts of preparation for crime. Earlier this week, Ashburn’s common-law wife, Xochil Lopez, was also remanded at the Belize Central Prison, facing four criminal charges related to the bust two Mondays ago.
Belize, through its Ministry of Immigration, is proudly hosting the Seventh Annual Meeting of the Comprehensive Regional Framework for Protection and Solutions. This high-level gathering focuses on creating protections for displaced individuals throughout Central America and the Caribbean. Belize is one of the seven member states in this organization. After leading for eleven months as the interim president, Belize is now passing the torch to Costa Rica. Today’s session marked a significant milestone with the adoption of the Belize City Declaration. News Five’s Paul Lopez has the details.
Paul Lopez, Reporting
Today, the member states of the Comprehensive Regional Protection and Solutions Framework came together to adopt the Belize City Declaration. This declaration is a big deal, as it reaffirms the commitment of the seven member states to boost protection and find solutions for displaced people across Central America and Mexico.
Prime Minister John Briceño
Prime Minister John Briceño
“We are most delighted to host this important gathering where we stand in solidarity with refugees and forcibly displaced persons in Central America and Mexico. Your presence here is deeply appreciated and we are grateful for your commitment to this cause.”
Belize is proudly hosting the Seventh Annual Meeting of the Framework. According to the United Nations Refugee Agency, over two million people in Central America and Mexico have been forced to leave their homes. The United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees praises this framework as a shining example of how the Global Compact on Refugees can be put into action.
Filippo Grandi
Filippo Grandi, United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees
“The linkages that have already been mentioned between all these initiatives are critical as we continue to witness conflict, violence, natural disasters, and abuses, forcing so many people to flee their homes. And doing so using the same routes and means as migrants, hence the crucial importance to work on the many synergies of this initiatives. It is crucial to consider the needs of all people who are exposed to unimaginable dangers in their journey in search of safety. Clearly there is no one solution for all, but everyone regardless of their circumstances or status has human rights.”
Belize has been leading the regional organization since assuming the yearlong presidency in January. Yesterday, it handed over the pro tem presidency to Costa Rica. Through the declaration entered by member states, partnerships will be expanded to strengthen coordinated regional responses to displacement.
Prime Minister John Briceño
“In the southern part of Belize where we have the Garifuna, it is a small population, but they also have in the eighteen hundreds they were displaced from St. Vincent and the Grenadines. They came here in what we call the Stann Creek District, and they asked the British if they could stay here in Belize. That is another population of migrants that came here to Belize. We have the black population who our former slaves who again were brought to Belize in many instances against their will. We have the east Indians who were brought here as indentured servants or laborers. So, Belize is a melting pot. I think it is one of the best examples where you could find that we have opened the door to migrants, immigrants, refugees and they have become a part of our society. It is estimated from early nineteen nineties, it is estimated that approximately fifteen percent of our resident population were form foreign born, a mix of migrants or refugees. I wish you would have the time to visit the Valley of Peace.”
Assistant Secretary General of the Organization of American States, Nestor Mendez, in his address to member states spoke of the organization contributions to providing technical knowledge and strengthening institutional capacities.
Nestor Mendez
Nestor Mendez, Assistant Secretary General, OAS
“By the middle of this year, more than two point four million people have been forcibly displaced due to violence, insecurity, the effects of climate change, disasters and socioeconomic factors across and within Central America and the Caribbean. These are not just statistics, they are families, women, men, children, seeking protection and more than anything hope. Yet despite these challenges, the solidarity of the seven states, demonstrates what is possible when we work together. These sates have undertaken bold actions under their national plans to prioritize the integration of displaced persons.”
Prime Minister John Briceño
“As we reflect on these achievements, let us recommit ourselves to the vision of MIRPS, a vision that stand united in its resolve to protect, assist and empower displaced persons.”
Earlier today, the European Union, led by Head of Delegation Dr. Erja Askola, signed two important contracts with the country offices of the International Office on Migration and the International Labor Organization. These new projects aim to boost inclusive socio-economic development in southern Belize and enhance the capabilities of government institutions for integrated border control planning and management. The signing ceremony for these two grant agreements, worth around sixteen million Belize dollars, took place today. Both initiatives highlight the crucial partnership between the United Nations system and the European Union in breaking down barriers to inclusive and sustainable socio-economic development in Belize.
Erja Askola
Dr. Erja Askola, Head of EU Delegation
“Our contracts that are going to be signed today they are based on a financing agreement that we have signed with the Government of Belize. So we are passing to implementation, to putting things into practice. So real action and real action on the ground, this is what counts to the citizens and this is what will result in concrete impact on the ground and this is what we want. Now one of the contracts is one that implemented by IOM, mainly for customs migration and orders, but also on forest protection. Very important and these are crucial priorities, joint priorities for the European Union together with the Government of Belize.”
Diana Locke
Diana Locke, Head of Office, IOM Belize
“I will share with you, ambassador has shared with you the various ministries that will be involved and the partners, and I will tell you a little bit mor now, quickly, about the activities that we will have under there. So one of them is aimed at developing a national strategy for border management and border integration. Another one also in the environment area, conservation, is to update the management plan for conservation. Along with the ministry of the border agencies, we will be helping to develop standard operating procedures for intra and inter offices working together. We are also going to be doing a lot of capacity building, training for immigrations, customs officers, border officials, in a sense. We will be doing online platforms for training that will be left behind, looking at the issues such as human rights, gender-based violence, some of these other topics that are not always associated with immigration services.”
Every year, over thirteen million babies are born prematurely worldwide. For the past seven years, healthcare professionals in Belize have been striving to reduce the number of premature births, but the trend hasn’t changed much. Premature births can lead to serious health issues like infections, internal bleeding, and seizures. To address this, the Karl Heusner Memorial Hospital Authority hosted Belize’s first-ever World Premature Day Conference. Neroli Williams, the Unit Manager of Natal and Intensive Care at K.H.M.H., gave us more insight into this pressing issue.
Neroli Williams
Neroli Williams, Unit Manager, Natal & Intensive Care, K.H.M.H.
“We decided to do a conference and target mostly the health care workers of this country, primarily the public health department because primary care is the first encounter of these pregnant ladies. So if we could improve on our primary care delivery, then we may have a decrease in premature births. Mommies, we have a lot of diabetes and hypertension in the country, and it’s on the rise. We’ve seen it in very young people. Even some children are developing diabetes from a very young age. So if we could get them to book clinic early, or their first visit that we call booking can be done early, at least within the first two months. Then the care could continue and we could see if there is any risk factors that can be addressed. We have a lot of people from remote villages that don’t have the accessibility to healthcare is not as we may have it in Belize City or Belmopan or the urban areas. So if we could find these as some of the problems or issues that face our community, then we could target those areas in order to decrease these premature births.”
On Wednesday, UNESCO announced that cassava has been added to its list of humanity’s intangible cultural heritage. This list celebrates the rich diversity of cultural practices and knowledge from around the world, featuring over six hundred items from one hundred and forty countries. Cassava made the list thanks to a joint submission by Haiti, Venezuela, Honduras, and Cuba. Although Belize wasn’t part of the submission, the country has deep historical ties to cassava. Today, News Five’s Britney Gordon visited the Luba Garifuna Museum in Belize City to chat with Garifuna historian Sebastian Cayetano about the significance of cassava to Belize and the Garifuna people.
Britney Gordon, Reporting
Cassava has just been added to UNESCO’s cultural heritage list, celebrated for its historical significance in Haiti, Cuba, Venezuela, and Honduras. In Haiti, cassava is often used to make Attieke, a traditional side dish from Ivory Coast made with grated cassava pulp. But here in Belize, cassava brings its own unique and rich flavors, most famously used to make delicious cassava bread.
Sebastian Cayetano
Sebastian Cayetano, Garifuna Historian
“Cassava is the Garifuna staple and best of all, once the bread is baked, it can last 10 years. Yes, it can go ten years. The shelf life is ten years, once you keep it dry. Okay, and then from cassava, the root cassava, you can make lots, Garinagu are able to make a variety of food. We make the baked bread, cassava, we make cassava wine, we make cassava porridge, Sahul, is a great favorite. And then the same cassava, you make cassava dhani, we call it, that’s the cassava tamal, and lots of other things.”
Hanging proudly on the walls of the Luba Garifuna Museum in Belize City is a vibrant painting of a Garifuna woman preparing cassava bread. This masterpiece, created by the renowned Belizean artist and musician Pen Cayetano in 1983, captures a slice of Garifuna life. According to Garifuna historian and museum owner Sebastian Cayetano, this painting is a beautiful snapshot of the Garifuna experience.
Sebastian Cayetano
“This is a spatula. This is what you use to flip the cassava. It must not break. But it’s a huge cake, so it has to be, there’s an art in it. So you have to flip it once, and then flip it again, and then brush the side to remove the particles, and then you cut the edges, and then you have Ereba Cassava.”
Permanent UNESCO delegate to the Ivory Coast, Ramata Ly-Bakayoko, describes attieke as a fundamental dish in the rich culinary heritage of Ivory Coast, deeply woven into the daily lives of its people. Similarly, for the Garifuna people of Belize, making cassava bread is a communal activity. From gathering the root vegetable to grating and straining it, each step is a shared experience that brings the community together.
Tilda Sabal
Tilda Sabal, Cassava Bread Maker
“This da bout two pounds of cassava.”
Sean Kuylen
Sean Kuylen, Chef
“You have to clean the comal. How do you call this again?”
Tilda Sabal
“Bessawa or a broom.”
Sean Kuylen
“No oil.”
Tilda Sabal
“No oil. Then I put the sibbiba in the comal and I have to spread it.”
Sean Kuylen
“How much a this you bake in a day?”
Tilda Sabal
“It all depends. Seventy-five.”
Adding cassava consumption to the intangible cultural heritage list shines a light on the shared experiences of African descendants across different nations. Cayetano has seen firsthand how making cassava bread unites people, bringing them together in a beautiful, communal tradition.
Sebastian Cayetano
“When we reach home, we place the cassava on the floor and call the neighbors, invite the neighbors to come and help us peel the cassava. Once we peel it, then we wash it. After we wash it then we use this grater. This grater is one hundred years old. We would have about four ladies around. One on this side, one there, one here, and one on the other side. And then we greet cassava. And as we grate, we sing, we shush. Everything happens there.”
The Belize Audubon Society is calling for nominations for the prestigious thirty-ninth annual James A. Waight Award. This award celebrates individuals or organizations that make significant contributions to conserving and enhancing Belize’s unique environment. They are looking for Belizeans who are actively involved in environmental conservation and protection. Nominees should also contribute to areas like forest, reef, or coastal zone conservation, pollution control, waste management, ecotourism, the socioeconomic environment, indigenous rights, and socio-cultural protection. The organization is seeking individuals who demonstrate a strong social commitment and can bring innovative, non-traditional approaches to their work. The winner will be announced in February 2025.
Dareece Chuc, Communications Director, BAS
“We’re happy again to say that we’re at that point in the year where we are putting out our calls for nominations for our conservation award. The James A. Waight Conservation Award is an award that we have been presenting to individuals and organizations for over thirty years, and so the nominations have been open since November and the deadline is December twentieth. We’re hoping that more people will hear about the conservation award, you know, and think about people in your community, in your area of work and see if there is someone that you think is deserving of this recognition. The award is named in honor of our first president, one of our founding members, and of course, it’s given to individuals or organizations who are doing exemplary work in the field of protecting the environment.”
Isani Cayetano
“When is the deadline and by when do we expect a winner to be announced?”
Dareece Chuc
“So the deadline is December twentieth and the committee meets in early January to review those nominations and the winner is announced in mid-February. Of course, we celebrate the winner at an award ceremony on February sixteenth, 2025.”
