Belize and Taiwan Celebrate the Conclusion of the Women’s Economic Empowerment in the Adjacency Zone of Belize Project

Press Release – Benque Viejo del Carmen – August 15, 2023

The Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Foreign Trade and Immigration, and the Embassy of the Republic of China (Taiwan) celebrated the culmination of the Women’s Economic Empowerment in the Adjacency Zone of Belize Project. The project was implemented under the framework of the “Enhancing the Economic Empowerment of Women in Latin America and the Caribbean in the COVID-19 Post-Pandemic Era: Technical Assistance for Women Employment, Entrepreneurship, and Financial Inclusion” project co-implemented by the Ministry and Taiwan International Cooperation and Development Fund.

Under the project, the Ta’Amay Centre for Training and Promotion of Peace in Benque Viejo del Carmen, Cayo, hosted 16 vocational and technical training cohorts targeted at women and girls. The sessions focused on areas such as beauty, baking and cooking, hospitality, foreign languages, customer service, bartending, and front desk management training, to name a few, for micro and small business.

The courses ran from March to June 2023, with 110 women and 60 men participating in the vocational training programs. Training and certification were facilitated through the Cayo Centre for Employment Training. Ambassador Amalia Mai, CEO of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Foreign Trade, and H.E. Lily Li-Wen Hsu, Ambassador of the Republic of China (Taiwan), gave keynote remarks, echoing praise to the participants for taking the initiative to acquire new skills not only for their personal development but also for their families, community, and country. Also present at the event were Mr. Jahamor Lopez, Principal Education Officer of the Ministry of Education, Culture, Science and Technology; Mr. Robert Pan, Chief of Taiwan Technical Mission; representatives from the Office of the General Secretariat of the OAS in the Adjacency Zone; and the project beneficiaries.