Meet the Winners of the Belize District Fr. Ganey Quiz Competition
Two Belize City students will be moving on to the National Father Marion Ganey Quiz competition, which takes place on November twenty-third in Cayo. The duo beat other students from the Belize District with their impressive knowledge of the credit union movement as well as financial literacy. News Five’s Duane Moody reports.
Duane Moody, Reporting
Saint Ignatius Primary School’s Damion Itza wins the 2018 Father Marion Ganey Belize District Quiz Competition. Taking second place was Danika Westby of Saint Martin De Porres School also from Belize City. The two finalists in the competition came out on top after students from nine schools from across Belize City and rural Belize District participated in several rounds of questions and answers on the credit union movement in Belize. Damion answered all his questions accurately and captured the top prize.
Darren Leal
Darren Leal, Finance Officer, Holy Redeemer Credit Union
“We gave them a total of two hundred and five questions. These questions share a bit of the credit union movement and some of the historical events that are important to the credit union movement; in specific, a lot of the questions pertain to Holy Redeemer Credit Union itself. For the three rounds, the students are asked three questions per round. At the third round, there are only asked two questions and it is a run-on score added up. And the students who have the most score at the end, they are the ones who end up at top.”
The competition not only teaches the participants as well as their parents and schools about the credit union movement, but also about financial literacy. It is part of the activities used to celebrate International Credit Union Day, which is recognized annually on the third Thursday in the month of October. This year, it is being held under the theme, “Finding Your Platinum Lining in Credit Unions.”
Corrine Robinson-Fuller
Corrine Robinson-Fuller, Executive Director, Belize Credit Union League
“The league is like the association of all credit unions and there are nine credit unions in Belize; they are all members of the league and we provide advocacy services. So if there are issues that all credit unions need to bring to the regulators with one voice, the league advocates on their behalf. And we also provide development and education and training sessions of the credit unions. The history of credit union is very important. What the children learn today or what they have been studying over the last month or so is that credit unions started in Belize in 1943 so they have a sense of how long this movement has been going on and they also get a sense of the benefits that credit unions provide to their members. One of the things that the children know is that at a credit union, you are a member-owner. You are not just a customer; you participate in the governance of a credit union.”
Westby and Itza will be representing Belize District at the nationals in Cayo in November twenty-third because last year, a student from that district won the national competition.
Darren Leal
“Sometime next week, we’ll be giving them the list so that they can study. And this list will not only comprise of the history of HRCU, but the entire credit union movement, because all the credit unions will be participating. All the other districts that the other credit unions are conducting will come together and the big event will take place.”
Duane Moody for News Five.
