Encuentro Maya 2011

Mayans from Guatemala, Mexico and Belize gather each year to work together to preserve their common heritage. This year the event was held in Toledo District about 4 hours south of where I live. I was asked to teach earring making which I found daunting (teaching Mayans about how to make crafts?) To my surprise the children as young as 4 years took to it easily and elders (who were not invited) jumped in too. A good time was had by all--special thanks to my friend in NY Karen Wasserman who supplied all the materials and tools--I have contributed them to the children's program for future use. It was interesting because the children from northern Belize speak Mopan and Spanish or Mopan and English but no Spanish and from southern Belize and parts of Guatemala speak only native languages such as Ketchi (there are several dozen.) Communicating through beads was easy.

Wedding 2011

I have been to more weddings in Belize this year than I've been to in the previous 10 years; this is Norma and George with parents; Norma is the sister of Juanito; George, the brother of Antonia. This family from San Antonio Village have become wonderful friends; they stopped by my house in Cayo the other night just as a huge thunderstorm. We experimented with the timer on my camera (the children Johanne and Julie are amazingly smart for their young ages) and this is what we came up with. Their "hats" are something we made out of something I learned as a child "horse reins" (not sure of the spelling.)

Cave Tubing at Jaguar Paw

It has been Santa Semana (Easter) all week so I got to take a little break: caving tubing at Jaguar Paw. It was quite lovely. The picture of the young Peace Corps volunteer is her showing us the live termites that she told us taste just like carrots as she and the tour guide each popped a few in their mouths (I am not kidding.) Needless to say I skpped that part of the tour. That's me in the red shirt getting ready in the rain forest and then in the very dark caves with friendly bats and other creatures.

More meetings with Rural Villages

We spent Wednesday visiting rural villages, especially concerning the issue of water access and potable water (virtually none have the latter!) The first picture is a meeting with me and the "guys" in Billie White Village. Local residents administer their water systems, collect fees for the village, etc. We are helping by training leaders in the rural villages to prepare proposals, create budgets, design systems of accountability and find funds.

The next picture is of one of the few government schools (more than 90% of schools are church-based with the government paying teacher salaries--all schools have user fees although school attendance is required through age 14; only 40% of eligible children are enrolled in high school nationwide: this elementary school is in Duck Run 1: on the right is the principal and on the left the Rural Community Development Officer with whom I work. The tank to the left of the school room is the only source of water for the children and is frequently empty until the principal collects money from the parents to fill it to provide potable drinking water for them. This village is an example of need for coordination among NGOs, many from the U.S.--one helps schools but not communities, one helps with water but not electricity, one provides computers but no internet, communications company provides free internet to schools but no computers and not for the community at large. It is not atypical at all.

Talleres: Rural Village Workshops continue

On April 2, 2011, I conducted a workshop for village council leaders, non-profit organizations and the local college along with the Rural Community Development Officer Mr. Orlando Jimenez who is very skilled at community organizing. We think it was a first--bringing village leaders and local NGOs together for program planning and grant preparation. Note from the photo that clip art works very well when issues of literacy arise. It was very well attended and very well received.

Talleres: Rural Village Project Planning

I have begun a series of workshops throughout rural Cayo under the auspices of an extraordinary Rural Community Development Officer, Mr. Orlando Jimenez. This activity has exposed me to an incredible group of community leaders who are working toward improving rural life. Basic issues are potable water, electricity, and education. Many of the villages are struggling also with creating voluntary pre-schools, community resource centers to include Internet cafes, libraries, youth groups and programs, agricultural cooperatives, health clinics, and women's committees. One community is negotiating to be part of the network of Cuban doctors serving Belize. The 4 hour session here was held on Saturday, March 26, 2011, using visual literacy techniqes (thanks to the technology of clip art!) dealing with low literacy, how to prepare proposals, where the money is in Belize, U.S., the British Commonwealth, and Europe. So far there is tremendous enthusiasm and requests for more--including next Saturday for non-profit organizations and a schedule of community meetings through June.

March is Women's Month here in Cayo too

This banner appears along the main street of the town. The government's women's department is part of the Dept. of Human Resources and Social Transformation. In Dec. it sponsored 16 days of activism. The rhetoric is quite wonderful; the situation for women is in flux.