BEEP Awards 22 Small Businesses $5000

Twenty-two Belizean entrepreneurs are getting a major boost to their small businesses after receiving five-thousand-dollar grants during the final cohort ceremony of the Belize Enterprise Empowerment Project, known as BEEP. The event, hosted this morning by BELTRAIDE in partnership with the CARICOM Development Fund, provided seed capital to help maturing enterprises scale up across the country. The recipients represent a diverse range of industries, from agriculture and food processing to tourism, creative services, and digital marketing.

 

Ishmael Quiroz, Executive Director, BELTRAIDE

“We had a hundred and twenty-seven applicants. And then, of course, a big part of it is that your application had to actually be completed. It had to be completed and in good quality. And out of that thirty businesses were, were shortlisted and they went through the training program. A big part of it is that you had to complete at least eighty percent of the training in order to be able to move on to the next stage. So ultimately, out of that thirty, twenty-two were successful in completing the program and in successfully pitching and convincing the evaluation panel that their business was viable, innovative, and stood a good chance of success.”

 

Darlon Usher, Recipient

“ This is definitely a major step for me and my business in that it  provides and allows me to  provide better, quality service for my clients, you know? I’m able to expand my equipment and in doing so, I’m able to provide more services for the, the clients.”

 

Dawn Humes, Recipient

“ I have to say the process was a little vigorous, right? We got to learn about the business from the beginning to the end, which is a good thing. And one thing I could say that each of us know now how to manage and how  the steps it will take for us to have a prosperous business.”

 

Quiroz emphasized that the grants are disbursed in two phases, with continuous monitoring to ensure accountability and long- term success.

 

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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