Ilsa Villanueva is British High Commission’s Outstanding Woman of the Year

The British High Commission awarded its first ever Outstanding Woman of the Year Award today. In a virtual presentation, British High Commissioner Claire Evans presented the award to Ilsa Villanueva. The awardee is the three-time and current chairlady of Placencia and is credited for exemplary community work. Evans visited Villanueva today in Placencia where she was treated to lunch at the Maya Beach Bistro and handed her 2020 Outstanding Woman Award. Here’s a look at how that went:

Claire Evans

Claire Evans, British High Commissioner to Belize

“She volunteers as Placencia’s chairperson. She is on several boards. She helps youth programmes; fundraisers; is an advocate for the environment and she has passionately driven forward Placencia’s aspiration to be an increasingly popular tourist destination.  Impressively, she has remained the chairperson for three consecutive terms. Ilsa has demonstrated through-out her life work and her leadership that gender equality and empowerment matter and that women can make a difference. She is a great pioneer and great role-model. She has paved the way for other women and girls to follow in her footsteps and become future leaders. It has not always been easy. Ilsa had to stand strong against criticism, especially through the difficulty in tackling the sargassum situation. But in Ilsa’s own personal style with her passion and positive attitude she turned it into a real opportunity to find employment for local youth and petty criminals in Placencia. It would be remiss of me not to mention a few of the significant accomplishments during her time as chairperson. Ilsa has built a council office; she has established a boardwalk on the Placencia Point. She created a pedestrian sidewalk on the Placencia main road. She upgraded the sports field. Nothing seems to get in Ilsa’s way. She is creative and passionate and looks for all opportunities to make Placencia the best it can be. She works tirelessly and unpaid to support her village. So, I would like to say congratulations to Ilsa Villanueva our very worthy winner of the British High Commission’s first outstanding woman award 2020.”

Ilsa Villanueva

Ilsa Villanueva, Woman of the Year, British High Commission

“I remember being at lunch with HC Claire and her request that I nominate someone from the village for the woman of the year. I was thinking about who I would nominate as I am surrounded by so many strong women and I was surprised that I was nominated. It truly feels great to be celebrated in this manner. Who would have thought I would be here today accepting this award?  For me, serving means putting my heart, my soul, and everything – sacrificing family time, vacation time, but the end result matters; success and making the village benefit in whichever area.”