2010/2011 Partners

BNE Charitable Trust has approved funding for the following organizations and their projects:

1. St Peter’s Anglican School-Special Education Programme -Orange Walk
2. Mary Open Doors, San Ignacio -Cayo
3. Ladyville Evangelical School, Ladyville -Belize
4. Belize Disaster and Rescue and Response Team -All Districts
5. Monsignor Romero R.C School, Valley of Peace -Cayo
6. Productive Organization for ‘Women in Action’ (POWA) -Stann Creek
7. The New Orange Walk East Sports Committee -Orange Walk
8. New Covenant trade School, Punta Gorda -Toledo
9. National 4-H Youth development Center, BMP -Cayo
10. San Roman RC School -Orange Walk
11. Liberty Foundation, Ladyville -Belize
12. Help Age Hopkins -Stann Creek
13. Help Age Benque -Cayo
14. Rotary Club Belize City -Belize
15. Centro Vision Misionero, Belize City -Belize
16. KHMH, Belize City -Belize
17. Sacred Heart Primary School, San Ignacio -Cayo
18. Caye Caulker Ocean Academy, Caye Caulker -Belize
19. Parents Committee for Special Needs Children, Ministry of Education, San Ignacio/Benque -Cayo
20. The Word at Work -All Districts
21. La Gracia Gov School, La Gracia -Cayo
22. Ministry of Education/Narcie Leadership Program

More information will be available soon providing details about each of these worthy projects.

Kids and Youth Volleyball Program

The goals of the Kids and Youth Volleyball Program in Belmopan was to target primary and high school students and at risk youth who did not attend school. The age range was from nine to eighteen.

This part-time, after school program is all about promoting a healthy lifestyle, fitness, and sports.

The mission of this program is to :
• increase the athletic achievement of all participating children,
• support positive development,
• increase their capacity to succeed in their transition to high school, tertiary level institutions, and society,
• address awareness needs of their families so that they would be willing to support their children’s academic, athletic and developmental success.

To kick off this project the first ever summer Volleyball Camp was held with 75 participants. BNE Trust, the main sponsor for this event and the after- school program, worked along with the BVA, Belmopan Sport Council  and the Belmopan City Council.

The after- school program is continuing with many different activities being offered regularly, such as  sports clinics which will emphasize balanced nutrition practices and exercise for healthy children and also engaging children in playing volleyball for enjoyment.

Sessions are also held in which the children are taught respect for authority, communicating, conflict resolution, self-discipline, decision-making and leadership skills.

San Jose – San Pablo Community Library Project

The San Jose – San Pablo Community Library has been serving the twin communities of San Pablo and San Jose since 1995. Primary and high school students  and teachers from both communities used the library for research and other school related work.

A new library building was constructed by funding received from BNE Trust that provided students and teachers adequate space for reading, research, and computer access with internet, as well as a computerized check-out system while in a comfortable and healthy environment.

More than 840 students and 30 teachers have benefited from this project.

Monsignor R.C. School Library Renovation Project – Valley of Peace

The Monsignor R.C. School Project  in Valley of Peace funded by BNE Trust provided a library resource center and computer lab space for its students.  Before the school did not have the space for a library in which the students could do research, group work, and get individual assistance when they needed it.  Also, even though 6 computers were donated to the school by “Word at Work”, they lacked the space to house them and the students were not able to maximize the use of this resource which was unfortunate since less than 10% of the students had access to computers at home.

The computer lab and library resource center now provides the space necessary for the students to develop their computer skills required for high school, group studies and individual tutoring sessions.

This was BNE Trust’s first “Challenge Grant.” $10,000 was given and the school community was challenged to find a worthwhile project to invest in. This lead to the old store room being renovated into a computer lab and library resource center.

The total value of this project was $66,000 of which BNE Trust provided $12,769. The remainder was donated by in kind services provided by the school community and other stakeholders.

Women United Against Abuse Seminar

A weekend seminar was held on January 22 to the 24th, 2010  for 80 participants who represented Law Enforcement Agencies, Human Service Organizations, Local and International NGO’s, and Educational Institutions attended the three day seminar at Banana Bank in the Cayo District. There were many positive results that came out of this interaction.  One positive outcome was that the different organizations in attendance learned how to work together better to serve the victims of domestic violence.  Another great result was that several organizations donated resources, such as land and property, that can be used to serve those in need.

Videos about the proceedings can be found in BNE Trust’s YouTube channel.

Conflict Resolution Program

After recognizing the vast potential and importance of youth in Belize, the George Price Center established  a number of programmes to assist the children of Belize in their development.

While carrying out the different programmes many of the children that attended showed poor communication and interaction skills among themselves and their adult supervisors.  This led to disrespect of each other and even physical fights.  Poor communication and interactive skills was seen as a major obstacle for personal, social and emotional growth of the children.

Due to this observation, the George Price Centre with funding from BNE Trust and assistance from a Peace Corps volunteer started this project that offers Conflict Resolution sessions to Belizean children – targeting the age ranges of 7 to 12 and 13 to 16.

UPDATE:
Since the implementation of the project over four thousand students in the City of Belmopan and surrounding areas in nine different schools have been impacted.
“Train the Trainer” sessions have also been launched for teachers, parents and workers from youth service programs. Over 187 teachers have been impacted and more than fifty youth workers have attended the workshops.

A Youth Forum was also hosted on the topics of Conflict Resolution, Youth Experience and Empowerment. The forum was facilitated by Dr. Herbert Gayle a Social Anthropologist, and Honorable George “Rithm” Martinez, Cultural Envoy/Hip-Hop Ambassador for the U.S. Department of State. Over 100 invited youths from throughout the country attended.

A video of preparing volunteers to help with program can be seen on BNE Trust’s YouTube channel.

ArtReach Belize Arts and Crafts Program

Nearly all primary schools students in Belize today graduate or drop out without any exposure to arts which means that skills such as  canoe building, drum making and many others – which are a part of their heritage – are not being passed down to the children.

Realizing the importance of arts, BNE Trust funded this project  that was being carried out by ArtReach, an existing non-traditional arts education pilot program that works to increase the number of students exposed to the arts in the Cayo district.

To have a full-time arts program in most primary schools is very expensive, so the idea of implementing a “roving” arts program which moves from school to school was workable and cost-effective.

ArtReach’s goal is to create lasting creative and entrepreneurial skills through productive activities. Students who have difficulties with academic success could unlock an entire new world of possibilities and flourish through this different approach to education. With funding received from BNE Trust, the program was improved and expanded.

UPDATE:
ArtReach has been able to accommodate 260 children in 7 additional primary schools. The schools are :

• Georgeville School, Georgeville;
• St Vincent Pallotti School, Unitedville;
• Ontario Christian School, Ontario Village;
• St. Martin de Porres School, Blackman Eddy Village;
• Jireh Foundation, Spanish Lookout;
• Saint Barnabas School, Central Farm.

St. Margaret Mary R.C. School Project

St. Margaret Mary R.C. School is a grant aided primary school managed by Catholic Public Schools Management. There are 330 students and a staff of 12 teachers. After 17 years of existence the classroom buildings were deteriorating to a point of not being structurally sound and the student population continued to grow and the classrooms became overcrowded. The average class size was sixty students.

With 12 classes and only 11 classrooms, BNE Trust decided to fund the project to build more classrooms and on March 22nd, 2010 a grand opening ceremony was held for a new four classroom building equipped with a library and computer lab. The additional space will also provide opportunities for Village Council and Community events, serve as an alternative high school, provide opportunities for Adult Education and computer training, as well as the launch of an Early Childhood Learning Center.

Our Lady of Guadalupe Music Room

Our Lady of Guadalupe music program  provides a positive experience for young adults through music. The program is designed so that children can enroll in music classes such as choir, recorders, marching band and steel band.

The previous music room which housed all the instruments had outgrown the number of students who participated in the various classes.

With funding received from BNE Trust a new music room was constructed. This new building now houses all the instruments and provides enough space for practice. The school’s administration intends offer its services upon request to the public for community based music programs.

UPDATE:
Enrollment has increased from fourteen to over sixty students.

Lighting of Centennial Memorial Park

The Community of Artists for Cultural and Historical Endeavours (CACHE) is seeking to preserve a historic site, 2 acres in size, as a green area for a memorial park. They believe that the development of parks with ample green spaces is an important aspect of urban development.

CACHE is committed to enhancing the cultural and aesthetic level in Benque Viejo and plans to hold cultural events, open -air concerts, festivals, etc. at the park.

The objectives of this project include:
• Preserving part of the cultural and historic heritage of the town
• Creating a park with proper walking area and illumination that will be a social hub in the evenings and on weekends
• Providing a place of leisure and an adequate green area for a community in one of the fastest-growing districts in Belize.

With funds received from BNE Trust 23 GE Post Mount Luminaire Lights were installed at strategic points in the park.

UPDATE:
Between August and December 2009 over 1,800 individuals benefited from the lighting of the memorial park during special activities and events.
100 people were interviewed and 45% expressed that the lighting has increased the use of the park. 33% said that they visit the park every other day, 30% said on weekends and 14% said every day.