US$3 Million for Women and Youth Entrepreneurs

For thousands of Belizean women, the road to economic recovery after COVID-19 was made a little easier by an investment from the Taiwanese Embassy into their economic independence. It meant stepping into businesses and even fields they had never entered before. Now, Taiwan is putting another three million U.S. dollars behind that progress, expanding support to women and young entrepreneurs with training, vocational skills and business guidance. Government says the investment is about more than helping businesses start. It is about helping them survive, grow, create jobs and strengthen Belizean families and communities.

 

Amino Chi, Taiwanese Ambassador to Belize

“We can see communities were rebuilt and many women have stepped into non-traditional fields, such as cell phone repair. Based on the foundation we have built together, we are pleased to launch today the Belize Women and Youth MSMEs Development Project. Through the project, Taiwan will share its experience and expertise to train women and youth in Belize with entrepreneurship, equip them with vital vocational skills and assist them in building their own business in tourism, indigenous handicraft, building industries, and other potential sectors.”

 

Francis Fonseca, Minister of Foreign Affairs

“When a woman starts a business, she’s not only generating income for herself. She is very often the primary force stabilizing a household’s finances, financing her children’s education and reinvesting in her community. Support to women entrepreneurs is, in that sense, one of the most direct investments we can make in the next generation of Belizeans. Therefore, we must create the enabling environment that allows businesses not only to start but to survive, grow, create jobs and become a lasting part of our economy. This is an important priority of our government’s long-term and medium-term development strategy. And within it, closing the gender gap in enterprise ownership and growth is a named priority, not an afterthought.”

 

Over two thousand women benefitted from the original initiative called “Increasing Economic Power for Micro-Entrepreneurs Project”.

 

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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