Programme for Belize Grants Book Scholarships to 21 Students

For more than two decades, Programme for Belize has been working to protect the Rio Bravo Conservation and Management Area while supporting sustainable development in communities surrounding the reserve. This year that commitment is extending into the classrooms with book scholarships being provided to students from several schools in northern Belize. Twenty-one students are benefiting today as Programme for Belize hosts its annual Book Scholarship Award Ceremony. Executive Director Edilberto Romero explains the importance of investing in these young people and their education.

 

Edilberto Romero, Executive Director, Programme for Belize

“It’s been several years we have been providing high school scholarship grants to students from communities adjacent to the Rio Bravo Conservation and Management area. The idea is to give them an opportunity for them to develop a career away from the dependency on the natural resources and with the hope that we build good relationships with the communities and that they support us in the conservation and protection of Rio Bravo.”

 

Shane Williams

“How has the scholarship program changed over the years?”

 

Edilberto Romero

“Well, first we were giving admission tuition grants because most of the people – there were some bright students from the communities that they couldn’t afford and they would drop and they would go into just using the natural resources and they don’t have opportunities for a career. So we started giving tuition grants, paying it directly to the high school on their name once they get accepted. And a couple of years ago, the government decided to give tuition, pay for the tuition. So we changed to book grants because we found that the books are very expensive. And so it’s been several years, a couple of years now that we’re providing book grants. And at this cycle the principal told us that a lot of the students cannot afford laptop and they are now requiring laptop. And so that’s something we’re going to look for in the future.”

 

Shane Williams

“Now tell us, since the program has started, how has the relationship improved with the community?”

 

Edilberto Romero

“Well, it has been great because the community has realized that the reserve is benefiting them, not only through scholarship but through other things that we also employ most of our staff from the communities, the work we do, the tourism, the sustainable timber operation. Basically, we inject over a million dollars of funds to the economy, to the communities.”

 

Attention readers: This online newscast is a direct transcript of our evening television broadcast. When speakers use Kriol, we have carefully rendered their words using a standard spelling system.

 

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