Santa Familia Village Gets Potable Water

The residents of Santa Familia Village in the Cayo District have reason to celebrate today as they inaugurated a brand new water system that will provide clean water to the entire community. The project was made possible through funding from the European Union’s climate change resilience program in western Belize. Working in partnership with the International Organization for Migration (I.O.M.), the Ministry of Sustainable Development, Climate Change, and Disaster Risk Management successfully implemented the project, which also included the installation of two culverts and the completion of one mile of drainage in Los Tambos. Hipolito Novelo reports.

Hipolito Novelo reporting

Residents of Santa Family Village in Cayo now have access to clean potable water thanks to funding provided by the European Union’s climate change resilience program. Chairlady Joyce Tun says that the water pump system is expected to benefit hundreds of families, especially those that have been displaced and migrated to communities along western Belize.

Joyce Tun

Joyce Tun, Chairlady, Santa Familia Village Council

“We recognized that water is an essential resource for life and every year around the world thousands of people are displaced due to water scarcity among other calamities.”

The Santa Familia’s new water system is part of a larger project:

Orlando Habet

Orlando Habet, Minister of Sustainable Development, Climate Change, and Disaster Risk Management

“Building Climate Change Resilience and social integration and displaced people in settlements in Western Belize aimed at supporting displaced persons and migrants settlements to become productive members of their host communities and to participate in furthering their common resilience, socio-economic growth, and sustainable development thereby preventing the need for further displacements.”

Every year, tens of thousands of persons make their way from their home country in Central America in search of the ‘American Dream,” a grueling trip that takes them through several other countries, including Belize. While many use Belize as a transit point, about 40–60 thousand have decided to stay.

Hon. Orlando Habet

“The development of a migration development policy to engage relevant ministries of government in the implementation of programs, dealing with migrants and the diaspora is in the near future.”

Oscar Requeña

Oscar Requeña, Minister of Rural Transformation, Community Development, Local Government, and Labour

“We have always been concerned about the quality of water that our people are consuming, and certainly, for us as the Ministry of Rural Transformation have responsibility for water in our rural spaces. But today, I am happy to say that we join you in celebrating this wonderful accomplishment.”

Representative for the International Organization for Migration (IOM), Samuel Novelo, says that the ultimate goal is to support the residents to continue being productive and resilient.

Samuel Novelo

Samuel Novelo, Representative, I.O.M.

“Our joint project with the government of Belize through this project, Building Climate Change resilience and social integration and displaced people in Settlements in Western Belize, has yielded a very important accomplishment.”

Reporting for News Five, I am Hipolito Novelo.