1 week ago
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Rural communities in southern Belize stand to benefit from a nine-million-dollar investment into their economic future. Provided by the European Union and implemented through the International Labour Organization on behalf of the Ministry of Rural Transformation, is at the heart of the PROSPER Project, a three-year initiative that took a major step forward this week with a signing ceremony in the Stann Creek District. The event brought together representatives from three communities, including Hopkins and the Sittee River area, as well as students and staff from Georgetown Technical High School, Cien Bight, Julian Cho Technical High School, and the IT-Vet institution in Toledo, all committing to jointly develop local economic development plans. Love News spoke with Ministry of Rural Transformation CEO, Valentino Shal about the donation.
Valentino Shal, CEO, Ministry of Rural Transformation: “Our real objective is to promote the economic development of rural communities. If you want to improve the quality of life, if you want to reduce poverty, if you want to reduce unemployment it’s the economy of the communities that we need to look at and we have to tie the local economy to the national economy and we do that in strategic ways. We look at the growing sectors of the national economies and tie the rural economies to that as well as ensure that our people are properly skilled in order to participate in those sectors so that’s what we’re doing.”
Reporter: Who will be leading the project here ?
Valentino Shal, CEO, Ministry of Rural Transformation: “The project is, there’s a project execution unit, it’s based in Belmopan but there’s an office in PG and of course they have field officers who will come here to visit the participating communities.”
Reporter: Anything else you want to add in this ?
Valentino Shal, CEO, Ministry of Rural Transformation: “Well we also handed over yard maintenance equipment, weed whackers to three communities, they got two weed whackers each. This is part of our promise to promote clean and healthy communities from the ministry and the communities we constantly support them, the village councils especially, to maintain their communities and have their communities looking aesthetically pleasing and of course healthier.”
In addition to the signing agreements, the Ministry also handed over yard maintenance equipment, including weed walkers, to three communities, continuing their commitment to clean, healthy, and aesthetically maintained villages. The PROSPER Project represents a broad, collaborative push between government, international partners, schools, and communities to build a more economically resilient rural Belize.
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