Volunteers honoured by environmental fund

The Global Environmental Facility is an international small grants programme that assists grass roots organisations in developing community projects and creating jobs, mostly in rural areas. The funds, which can reach up to fifty thousand U.S. dollars, are monitored carefully by unpaid professionals who sit on G.E.F.’s National Steering Committee. Because it is the year of the volunteer, the United Nations Development Programme and the United Nations Volunteers joined forces today to honour past and current members of the G.E.F. committee who administered the contributions to NGOs.

Philip Balderamos, National Co-ordinator, G.E.F.

“The award ceremony today is to recognise the voluntary contribution of the members of our Global Environment Facility Small Grants Programme National Steering Committee. These thirteen people serve in a voluntary capacity on the National Steering Committee to guide the delivery of grant funds to various groups. They also ensure that the monies are used for the right purpose. And so this year being the International United Nations Year of the Volunteer, we are recognising the contributions that these volunteers have made to the global environment, to the environment in Belize and to the improvement of people’s livelihood at the grass roots level.”

In addition to honouring the volunteers on the G.E.F. steering committee, a twenty thousand dollar grant was also given to the Belize Indigenous Training Institute. According to Victor Cal, BITI’s director, they are working on ways to develop and market traditional bush medicine.

Victor Cal, Director, BITI

“Our plan is to promote and invite primary schools, high schools and technical schools into our site. That is the biodiversity promotion or transmission of traditional knowledge and how it compares with scientists. We have some friends from the university in Canada to come and give us some a hand just to make sure our traditional ways in Toledo works for scientists ways, like how to make products like pills, creams, shampoo and maybe teas.”

If you would like to learn more about the G.E.F. programme, you can visit their website at www.undp.org.