Ford launches conservation funds
The Ford Motor Company, intent on displaying its good corporate and environmental citizenship, has been supporting conservation efforts for over twenty years in virtually every corner of the globe. Today, the company launched a campaign in Belize to reward efforts in support of environmental projects and jaguars. The two initiatives launched this morning in Belize City are the Conservation and Environmental Grants and the Jaguar Conservation Trust. While the grant is an extension of a programme already running in sixty countries, Ford Motor Company Representative, Rita Solis, says the Jaguar Conservation Trust is a new initiative launched simultaneously in Belize, Guatemala and Brazil.
Rita Solis, Representative, Ford Motor Company
“The Jaguar Conservation Trust, the idea is to help people to implement proposals in order to preserve the jaguar. And the idea is to give the money to implement the programmes. In the case of the Ford grants, the idea is to help people who are working now in ongoing projects in the cultural or environmental areas.”
Patrick Jones
“Who gets to access any of these initiates?”
Rita Solis
“Any person. The projects, both programmes are opened to the participation of groups, not profitable groups, that is important, or people that is individually working to try to preserve our richness in the cultural and conservation areas…I am from Costa Rica, so I know that all Central America have a lot of environmental and cultural richness that we need to preserve. And the idea is to invite people to continue working for the next generation, and we are here trying to support them to continue doing so.”
Solis says applications for funding under both initiatives are being accepted until November twenty-first. The names of the successful individuals or groups will be announced in February 2004. The amount of money granted will depend on the necessity of each programme. A total of fifty thousand U.S. dollars is available initially, but local companies are being encouraged to join Ford in sponsoring the conservation efforts.
