OAS funds projects in Belize
A wide cross section of Belizeans stand to benefit from training and employment through three projects being funded by the Organisation of American States. The first project, which is costing the OAS twenty thousand U.S. dollars, is designed to introduce Human Rights Education into the primary schools. It will be implemented by the Human Rights Commission of Belize. The YMCA will receive sixty-four thousand U.S. dollars to reduce the unemployment rate among youth while the Belize Audubon Society will soon embark on several micro projects with their eighty-five thousand U.S. dollar grant, to develop sustainable tourism in communities bordering the Crooked Tree Wildlife Sanctuary. Audubon’s Executive Director Osmany Salas says the OAS project is a complement to a larger European Union project involving the co-management of the Crooked Tree and Cockscomb Basin wildlife sanctuaries.
Osmany Salas, Executive Director, BAS
?The project with the OAS seeks to embark on training and tourism development planning with the community leaders in each of the five communities. The end goal is to give these communities more access to decision making so they can be more involved in the co-management of the protected area.?
?Training will look into hospitality and guiding, we will train some of the local villagers there. BAS and government officials, from the Forestry Department since that?s the department we work closely with. That training will be in community development skills and techniques.?
Ann-Marie Williams
?Capacity building is also included??
Osmany Salas
?Exactly, capacity building. Crooked Tree is the only area in Belize internationally recognized as a wetland protected area of international importance, that is a good selling point.?
?The OAS project is looking at the eco-tourism opportunities hoping that at the end local groups will then have business plans that they could submit to organisations like the Small Farmers Bank or BEST for funding for instance.?
Ann-Marie Williams
?To do for example what??
Osmany Salas
?To do guiding activities, projects, canoeing, boating, they are lodges there, they can do bed and breakfast facilities.?
Salas says villagers will also be exposed to network co-operation in neighbouring Guatemala and Quintana Roo so as to acquire firsthand skills to enhance their project areas.
