Department prepares for Women’s week

It has been celebrated since the 1970s and on Saturday the Women’s Department will once again launch its annual Women’s Week. According to acting department director, Icilda Humes, 2008’s theme of “Women: Equal Partners in Belize’s Development” focuses on the significant impacts the gender has had on all aspects of society.

Icilda Humes, Acting Director, Women’s Department
“Women’s Week is about recognising the significant contributions that our Belizean women have made to society. That is why we chose the theme that we chose for this year because women are the background of our country’s national development. Whether you are looking at education sector, whether you’re looking at the social sector, whether you are even looking at something like politics; women are the backbone of all of those areas, of all of those sectors and I think sometimes we don’t give recognition, the work of women is often underappreciated, under-valued, and often times under resourced. And so it’s very important for us to have this observance so that keep supporting our women and so that we can show women that there are positive role models out there, women who have set the foundation for other women to carry on the work that has been started.”

Activities for Women’s Week include a bike rally on the first, the Outstanding Women’s Awards on March fifth, and the third annual Women’s Summit on Friday, the seventh.

This year, in association with S.J.C.’s Charles Hunter Commission for Social Outreach, the Department will be helping a woman to make their mark on Belizean society by offering a scholarship for an Associate’s degree from the sixth form or its School of Professional Studies.

Icilda Humes
“The scholarship is valid for the next school year which starts in August of 2008. It covers tuition, books, and registration fees. Belizean women are eligible. You have to be a high school graduate. You would have had to be accepted to St. John’s Junior College or St. John’s School of Professional Studies. You have to be a positive role model for other Belizean women, you have to be actively involved in your community. The application process involves submitting two references; one being a personal reference and one being a reference from an agency that you would have done community service at in the past. The application process also includes a two hundred word essay highlighting your personal goals, extracurricular activities, community service and basically telling us why you need the scholarship.”

Deadline for application to the schools is March seventh for S.J.C.J.C. and April fourth for the School of Professional Studies. Scholarship hopefuls must submit their paper work to the Women’s Department or S.J.C. by May thirtieth. There is no limit on age or course of study.