Clean Water for Rural Belize, One Tap at a Time

In many rural communities, access to clean water is still not guaranteed, and the Government of Belize and UNICEF are stepping in to change that. Through the Ministry of Rural Transformation, Belize is expanding WASH programs to improve water, sanitation, and hygiene in villages, schools, and health facilities nationwide. The priority is protecting children by creating safer, healthier spaces. Officials say strong WASH services save lives, support learning, and ensure no community is left behind. Projects like the Na Luum Ca WASH initiative are also helping Belize adapt to climate change while building stronger, more resilient communities, one tap at a time.

 

Oscar Requena, Minister of Rural Transformation

“Then we go to the second part of the project where we wang to inaugurate the WASH component in which we have an elevated tank, a reservoir. And I want to recognize today, I want to recognize our director, Mr. Charles Galvez. I remember when he came to me and he said, you know, Minister, we have an opportunity to be able to develop a project for Na Luum Ca. And he said, what do you think is important? One of the things that we both decided on and agreed and later on supported by our CEO was that we need to make sure that there’s a backup system for the community because Na Luum Ca gets water from San Jose. San Jose is a very big community. So we just solarized that system in San Jose and we donated a new generator. So you shouldn’t have problems getting water.”

 

More than infrastructure, the WASH initiative brings safe, reliable water to rural families.

 

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.

 

Watch the full newscast here: