Salvapan comes of age as part of capital

If Belmopan is already enshrined in the record books as the world’s smallest capital, what do you say about a community that counts itself as a suburb of the mini-city? News 5’s Jacqueline Woods gives it a try.

Jacqueline Woods, Reporting

It looks like a typical village you’d find in the most remote parts of Central America, but you may be surprise to know that this community is located only a short distance from the centre of the City of Belmopan. Salvapan is just one of three areas within the nation’s capital that was first settled in the early 80s by Central American refugees. Today the population stands at three thousand and most of the residents are now naturalised Belizeans.

Gilberto Chulin Junior, Principal, St. Martin School

“I have been in the Salvapan community since 1995, and when I was here as a teacher, it was a small village, only a few houses. Today as you can see, the village has expanded to a great extent and in that case, we have more children, more people coming to settle in Salvapan.”

Gilbert Chulin Jr., principal of St. Martin Primary School says they’ve had to expand their building to accommodate the increasing number of students. Today during a ribbon cutting ceremony, five new classrooms were inaugurated to alleviate the overcrowding at the community’s only learning institution. While the children of Salvapan attend school, their parents are hard at work either in Belmopan or at home.

Neftali Flores, Resident, Salvapan

“They make living selling stuff, like tamales, garnaches and things like that. But most people here they work with City Council.”

Jacqueline Woods

“And what do the women do?”

Neftali Flores

“They do domestic work as well and they go to Belmopan, they have their little jobs around. I don’t know who all, but most.”

Belmopan Mayor Anthony Chanona says Salvapan has contributed significantly to the overall development of the area and it’s come a long way since the early back-a-bush days.

Anthony Chanona, Mayor, Belmopan

“For example, this road was literally non-existent, this main Cemetery Road. There’s a new bridge that we got thanks to the Social Investment Fund, there’s drainage facilities. A lot of the water from the inner city ends up here, so there’s a need to address drainage. In fact, what is being dumped in Belmopan, ends up creating public health concerns out here, so there is the challenge to tie in the infrastructure from Belmopan to areas like Salvapan.”

Most of the thatch houses have been replaced by wooden and concrete structures. Chanona says one of the biggest challenges they face is trying to integrate the communities into the City of Belmopan.

Anthony Chanona

“The traditional Creole is in Belmopan and then as you come out here, it’s a Hispanic Salvapan community. So we’re trying to influence policy where there’s a more pragmatic approach to land allocation to allow the children to integrate, to avoid problems in the future.”

Neftali Flores

“I don’t mind who come and live around. The idea is that everybody wants to do a little living, and they work and do what they can here. I don’t mind if Belizean people come here, because this area is for Belizeans as well. I am a naturalised Belizean too and my origin is not from here, I’m a Salvadoran, but I came here from since I was a young baby.

Like any young adult approaching the age of maturity, Salvapan is expected to increasingly stand on its own.

Reporting for News 5, Jacqueline Woods.

Salvapan is the second largest zone within the City of Belmopan. San Martin is the first and Maya Mopan is the smallest.