Hurricane Recovery
At the beginning of 2002 the southern Toledo District of Belize was still recovering from the effects of Hurricane Iris that had battered the villages and crops and rainforest in October of 2001. Partly as a result of the hurricane, coupled with the direction of Plenty International’s Belize programs over the past few years, Plenty Belize became more focused on maternal and child health and environmental education.
Thanks to a generous grant from the Atkinson Foundation, and the collaboration of Sustainable Harvest International, and the Toledo Cacao growers Association, Plenty Belize was able to distribute new hand tools and vegetable seed to 275 farmers who had been hit hard by hurricane Iris.
With funding from the Unity Avenue Foundation, Plenty Belize assisted the Toledo Cacao Growers Association to establish four tree nurseries to support the reforestation of the lands in and around their villages and the replanting of cacao trees that had been destroyed. Three of these nurseries were equipped with state-of-the-art solar water pumps and drip irrigation systems.
Birding for Biodiversity
With funding supplied by the Global Environment Facility and Onaway Trust, this project, begun in May of 2001, continued through 2002 after being shut down by Hurricane Iris from October until December 2001. Two monitors from each of ten villages resumed their weekly bird counts at the four locations near their villages that had been identified with the help of ornithologist Lee Jones. Furthermore, in 2002, the Environmental Education component of the project got into gear with Mayan project staff conducting workshops in Toledo villages to educate community members about the need to protect their local wildlife and wildlife habitat. Using slides and charts and other visual aids, the workshop leaders led discussions about harmful farming practices and the importance of bird species to their natural environment and economic development (attracting bird watchers). Additionally, project staff assisted five villages in establishing tree nurseries to help with reforestation after the hurricane destroyed much or the rainforest. Plenty Belize and the Toledo Ecotourism Association who were the primary partners in the Birding for Biodiversity project were assisted in setting up the nurseries by Trees Belize and Sustainable Harvest International.
Partnership with Toledo District Schools Expanded
With recent studies from UNICEF in Belize confirming our observations of high rates of malnutrition and growth retardation among Toledo children, especially Mayan children, Plenty Belize began focusing more resources on the School Feeding Program and developing the GATE program (“Garden-Based Agriculture for Toledo’s Environment”). Over the course of 2002, the School Feeding Program was adopted by the schools themselves and the local PTAs with the intention of increasing the nutrition value the children were getting out of their school day lunches. Thanks to the timely pledges of several Plenty donors, Plenty Belize has been able to provide continuing financial support to the School Feeding Program into 2003.
The GATE program complements the School Feeding Program. Plenty garden advisors are helping to teach children and teachers how to grow vegetables organically in gardens adjacent to the school grounds. Food raised in these gardens is consumed in the School Feeding Program. In 2002 two more schools established gardens bringing to six the number of schools in the program.
Village Midwife Training
February 2002 marked the end of the second year of the Village Midwife Training project and 12 more midwives graduated. Christina Kahlou, a Canadian midwife, worked with this second group for seven months, from August 2001 to February 2002. In June, Phase III of the project began under the direction of Certified Nurse Midwife Mary Kroeger. Mary provided Continuing Education for the 22 midwives who had gone through the training program with, at first, Deborah Flowers, and then with Christina Kahlou. Mary spent time with all the midwives in their villages talking to them about their birthing experiences and answering questions and evaluating their skill levels. Continuing Education classes were held in Punta Gorda where topics such as how to deal with emergencies and difficult births were reviewed. Weekly literacy classes for 10 midwives with the need and interest to improve their English speaking and writing skills were also begun in November by volunteer Reva Kidd. Due to the training program the midwives have successfully delivered 120 babies and several have handled life-threatening emergencies or appropriately referred women with pregnancy complications to the local hospital. Plenty is grateful to the Daniele Agostino Foundation and the International Foundation for their support of this project.
Plenty Belize Staff Changes
Also in 2002, Melanie Reimer and Greg Grosenick completed their two-year placement in Belize as Plenty Belize Programs Coordinator and Bookkeeper respectively. We’ll miss them, but wish them all the best in their new assignment with the Carter Center’s program in Guyana.
Our new Plenty Belize Program Coordinator is former Plenty Belize volunteer, Mark Miller, and the new Office Manager/Bookkeeper is Leah Cho of San Antonio village in Toledo. We welcome them both.
