Regional insurance association meets in Belize
But there is one Belizean who stands to benefit from insurers. The Caribbean Association of Insurance and Financial Advisors (CARAIFA) whose members offer life insurance and financial services are in Belize on a two day conference. While in the country, the executive body will hold its quarterly meeting. But the CARAIFA foundation is not just about crunching numbers and doing paperwork; it is the group’s social arm which focuses on giving financial assistance to individuals afflicted with kidney disease. At the end of the two day conference, a Belizean suffering from kidney disease may be helped by the organization. CARAIFA’s president, Maxim Marquez, explained more about the group.
Maxim Marquez, President, CARAIFA
“What we really do at CARAIFA is that we foster togetherness and unity amongst our member territories, which Belize is one. The ten member territories we enjoy come from Trinidad, com up to the islands, right up to Belize. What we have done over the years, we have promoted in the insurance industry education, which is one of the main things we do in the industry. We believe that through education we can have a certain standards of delivery with respect to certain services we provide which is insurance and financial services across the Caribbean. We also do some work with our CARAIFA foundation, which our Sec. Gen. will elaborate on as we move along, but our main focus is trying to foster and develop unity throughout the Caribbean amongst our insurance and financial advisors which are the members of our association. We have done this quite successfully so from time to time we visit various territories for our executive meetings as we are doing now in Belize.”
Marcelle Fenton, Secretary General, CARAIFA
“CARAIFA foundation is the social arm because insurance is so often perceived as always taking rather than giving so that arm is the giving arm of CARAIFA. We celebrate a Day of common Concern October thirty-first every year, which is our birthday, to ensure that we can educate and allow persons to understand the health concerns that are particularly affecting people in the Caribbean. That started with like diabetes, hypertension, but then we discovered that all of that tends to lead to kidney failure. So for the last three years we have been emphasizing what is it that people can do to prevent kidney diseases and if you can’t prevent it, we try and raise funds to assist those that we can so that their lives can be a little easier because to treat kidney complications and failure is a very expensive venture. So because of that high cost, we try and get persons to buy into and be a part of our social arm to help others in the Caribbean.”
Jose Sanchez
“Have you ad any cases in Belize that you’ve assisted with?”
Marcelle Fenton
“Not yet, but there is a case that we are looking at and by the end of this meeting the decision will be made.”
Fenton and Marquez say that they will be meeting with the Belize Association of Insurance and Financial Advisors on Friday.
