NCFC Celebrates International Day of Families

The International Day of Families is celebrated every year on the fifteenth of May.  This year, the day is being observed under the theme “Demographic Trends and Families”, to raise awareness on the impact of demographic trends on families. The National Commission for Families and Children held an International Day of Families event over the weekend in San Antonio Village, Cayo District. We spoke with Executive Director at N.C.F.C., Franisha Augustine about the event and the commission’s message to Belizeans on International Day of Families.

On the phone: Franisha Augustine, Executive Director, N.C.F.C.

On the phone: Franisha Augustine

“The activities we took over that side entailed having different entities from various organizations forming informational booths there. For example, we had the Department of Human Services there talking about the heart of gold and the adoption and fostering process because again, families does not mean it has to be blood relatives. So they spoke on that. We had the Ministry of Health there for them and they focused on health. They had their triage, the villagers come in and did their blood sugar testing and hypertension testing and they also gave away fruits. Our message would be in line with the children’s agenda. We want by the end of 2030 that Belize is a safe place to raise a family and in doing that it is not only the NCFC’s business, it is all of our business. Belize Family Life Association, the Women’s Department, UNICEF and the San Antonio Village Council also participated in the event.”