U.S. Embassy’s Community spotlight for December is on Ix-Chel Poot

By BBN Staff: The United States Embassy in Belize has announced that its community spotlight for the month of December is on Ix-Chel Poot.

Poot is a writer, poet and activist and earned her undergraduate degree in English literature. In 2015, she won the Belize Literary Prize for her short story: Mama.

Poot is also certified by the international institute on ageing in social gerontology and is the Executive Director of National Council on Ageing which she originally joined as a program officer in 2008.

The National Council on Ageing (NCA) was established in 2003 with the goal of looking at ageing in the context of national development and ensuring that the elderly have an enhanced quality of life, access to appropriate healthcare, financial resources, pensions, and access to public and private services.

The NCA also advocate against all forms of violence and abuse impacting the elderly.

The Council, in their efforts, have organized various activities to the benefit of the elderly, produced service announcements on abuse, urged donations of supplies, as well as launching campaigns and having forums discussing various challenges that the elderly face.

 Poot’s interest in working with the elderly stems from her time watching her mother act as the main caregiver for her grandmother who had alzheimers.

 While her mother had the support of her siblings, it still proved to be a difficult task and Ix-Chel Poot realized that many families in Belize did not have that type of support and became interested in the well-being of the elderly throughout the country.

Poot would also like to remind Belizean families to be careful, mindful and responsible during the Covid-19 pandemic while caring for the elderly.

Many lives of the elderly have been disrupted and they have lost different aspects and connections to their communities. They are also facing the loss of their contemporaries due to COVID and are unable to grieve in their normal ways.

More information on the NCA can be found on their Facebook page: National Council on Ageing, Belize and the website ncabz.org.

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