WIN launches “people friendly” budget book
Technocrats and government officials around the world are notorious for using superfluous or overly technical language, especially when it comes to financial matters. Today, however, the Women Issues Network of Belize launched a report aimed at breaking down the budget into small change. According to Carolyn Reynolds, Executive Director of WIN, the idea is to keep the public informed of the facts.
Carolyn Reynolds, Executive Director, WIN Belize
?We are hoping that from this project even the citizens of Belize can understand more of what the budget is and can become more involved in having a voice, in influencing government in making their decisions. To look at programmes that are needed and why are they cutting these programmes when they?re really needed especially looking at poverty, when you are looking at HIV/AIDS. So this is what we are hoping that the communities can understand the budget.?
?When we are talking about gender budget, we are looking at impacts on men, women and children. And looking at for example, health, how does the allocation of funds, how does it affect when you take out some of the services that are for health; how does it affect men, women and children??
?WIN-Belize conducted some focus groups. We asked our member agencies to look at issues that are affecting women and from these issues we developed focus groups around women and health, looking at education, looking at economic development. And so from the last one, women and social and economic development, we saw the need for community groups, civil society organizations to really become involved in this issue. And so this is why we started working on it.?
Copies of “Understanding the Budget” is available at WIN Belize’s office and is free of cost.
