Apples for Kids; Keeping the Belize Camping Experience Alive
As they say, an apple a day keeps the doctor away. Red, sweet delicious apples have been imported by the Belize Camping Experience as part of their activities to raise funds for their programmes. The healthy apples are in three different varieties, and not the types that are traditionally sold in country throughout the year. They can be purchased from various locations all over the country, so try something new and delish, and help the B.C.E. Here is News Five’s Hipolito Novelo with a report.
Hipolito Novelo, Reporting
Every year the Belize Camping Experience embarks on fundraising activities to keep their summer activities for kids going. This year, due to the deadly drought that affected the country, the B.C.E. was unable to harvest sugarcane and so Director Alexander Perez had to think quickly. Apples!
With the assistance of some local farmers, Perez got in contact with Mexican apple farmers to sell during the Christmas season to make up for funds needed to keep the camping running. Today, we caught up with him at the Westrac Compound in Belize City.
Alexander Perez
Alexander Perez, Director, B.C.E.
“They credited us one container full of apples. It is seven different companies of apples that are sending us their best apples. One of the things I realized is that they apples in Mexico on that side but they have never done a project like this. So we have to sell the apples for us to pay the farmers, we still have to pay them so we can fundraises the finances we need for Belize Camping Experience so that we can continue the work with the children and the youth.”
The B.C.E. is tasked in selling more than one thousand two hundred boxes of apples in three varieties.
Alexander Perez
“We have the red delicious which is the red apple and then we have the golden glory. It is green/yellow. When it gets ripe it gets really nice and yellow and then we have the gala apples which are the short life span apple. Those are the three varieties. One of the amazing things is that they are not shiny because they case directly from the orchard. When you buy the Northern American apple you have to put it in water to remove the wax. It looks pretty but these apple are nice and fresh that you can get in Belize.”
Eight hundred cases have been sold so far. The case is being sold for one hundred and twenty dollars and with the help of the Belize Marketing Board and Development; the apples are being sold quickly.
Alexander Perez
“If you are buying more than one case or buy five cases we give you a hundred dollars a case. It doesn’t depend if it is small big we sell it right through. Through the partnership with the marketing board we welcomed the importers to buy from these apples to that they can help us to sell into the market. We are not competing with them. This is a fundraising activity.”
Emil Usher
Emil Usher, B.M.D.C.
“It is a great initiative. We always look forward to assist the Belizean entrepreneurs. What’s not to say that these young children attending the summer camp will be future entrepreneurs of Belize?”
Amir Marin
Amir Marin, B.M.D.C.
“The feedback is great. People actually like it. They say it is very nice and very juicy. They like the quantity. The amount that they paid for they get good quality as well.”
The Belize Camping Experience engages young leaders with positive, fun life changing experiences that develop confidence and competence through several summer activities.
Alexander Perez
“Whatsoever is we can raise with proceeds from these apples is going to cover for the budgets for the harvest for kids because we ran short. This is going to help us so that we can continue the summer camps. We had one thousand and fifty kids came to summer camps. We have seventy five young people got trained across the country of Belize and we have the follow up through the year.”
Reporting for News Five, I am Hipolito Novelo.
