Resilient Rural Belize Conducts Village Consultation Visits

Published by BBNTEAM at January 10, 2022

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Posted: Monday, January 10, 2022. 3:27 pm CST.

The views expressed in this article are those of the writer and not necessarily those of Breaking Belize News.

By Paid Contributor: The Resilient Rural Belize (RRB) team in the Ministry of Economic Development met with prospective beneficiaries of its program in two villages, as part of its Free, Prior and Informed Consent (FPIC) process. The Villages were San Jose in the Toledo District and Santa Rosa in the Stann Creek District. On Saturday the 8th of January 2022, the RRB team met with village leaders in San Jose Village, Toledo. Present at the meeting were Area Representative and Minister of Rural Transformation, Community Development, Labour and Local Government, Hon. Oscar Requena and CEO Mr. Valentino Shal, Village Alcalde Silvestre Peck, Village Chairman Patrick Cal along with other village elders and community stakeholders.

On Sunday the 9th the RRB team met in Santa Rosa, Stann Creek District with village leaders and representatives of various groups in the village. Present at that meeting were Area Representative and Minister of Public Utilities, Energy and Logistics, Hon. Rodwell Ferguson, Village Chairman Mr. Romaldo Oh, Mrs. Marselina Shal, Women’s Group Leader and Mr. Eric Cal, President of the local youth group.

The purpose of both meetings was to sensitize community leaders and the general public to the mandate of the RRB program and the great potential benefits that their participation in the program presents to the economic development and overall upliftment of their communities as part of its FPIC process. The meeting also highlighted the process of accessing the resources offered by the program, as well as the importance of information, communication and consultation with their broader communities in arriving at a consensus within the community as to the extent of each community’s participation in the RRB program. Possible resources that can be accessed from the RRB program include resources for the establishment of community gardens, road, irrigation and storage infrastructure, and capacity building and technical training. The RRB program works primarily with farmer’s groups such as farming associations and cooperatives.

Both meetings, which were facilitated by RRB Program Manager, Dr. Geraldo Flowers and RRB Technical Team which included Mrs. Neri Sans (Monitoring and Evaluation Officer), Mr. Javier Garcia (Rural Organizational Development Officer), Mr. Jose Lisbey (Agricultural Marketing Officer) and Mr. Alfred Serano (Climate Officer), Mr Elvis Chi (Extension Officer, Stann Creek) and Mr. Alberto Chacon (Extension Officer, Toledo). The meetings were well attended and included robust discussions on the potential impact of the program.

Both Area Representatives expressed their resounding support for the RRB program to their respective constituents, and committed to working closely with community leaders to ensure its success. The meetings closed with village leaders pledging to consult with their respective communities in an effort to arrive at a broad consensus and support for identified initiatives, after which the results of those community consultations with be communicated to the RRB team for immediate follow-up.
For more information about the RRB program please contact:

Mr. Osmond Martinez Dr. Geraldo Flowers
Chief Executive Officer Program Manager
Ministry of Economic Development Resilient Rural Belize
[email protected] [email protected]

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