Tag:
Toledo District
Government
The Belize Maya Community rejects section of Maya Customary Land Tenure Policy draft
The Ministry of Human Development, Families, and Indigenous Peoples’ Affairs and the Maya people of the Toledo District continue to be at odds over the draft Maya Customary Land Tenure Policy. Throughout January 2023, consultations have taken place within the district’s Maya villages to dialogue on the critical aspects of the policy, specifically Paragraph Five, which proposes only to recognize 0.75 to 1.8 mil.es from the center of the town as registered as Maya customary lands. The Ministry has emphasized that the Government of Belize (GOB) is not limiting communal lands to one kilometer but keeping the door open for input and mutual agreement by all interested parties.
Community and Society
Belize Territorial Volunteers denounces aggressive conduct from Guatemalan Armed Forces
For years, the Belize Territorial Volunteers (BTV) have spearheaded trips through the Sarstoon River to one of the country’s border markers in the southern Toledo District to commemorate the 1859 Boundary Treaty signed between Great Britain and Guatemala. In recent years, the Guatemalan Armed Forces (GAF) in the area have reportedly enforced sovereignty on the river, making this annual patriotic trip challenging. On the 164th anniversary of the treaty, the BTV once again led an excursion, where the GAF confronted them as they went up the Sarstoon River.
Community and Society
MoECST Concludes Third Round of Consultations on New Competency-based Curriculum
The Ministry of Education, Culture, Science and Technology (MoECST) is pleased to announce the conclusion of the third round of consultations held with education stakeholders on the implementation of the new national competency-based curriculum. The tour of consultations began with the Toledo District and consultations were held in each municipality.
Government
Engineers Conduct Site Survey on Sarstoon FOB
On July 29, 2022, the Ministry of National Defence and Border Security, along with a team of engineers, visited the Sarstoon Forward Operating Base (FOB) in the Toledo District.
The visit follows reports concerning the integrity of the FOB due to erosion. During the visit, engineers conducted a site survey and collected data with a view to make recommendations for immediate and short-, medium- and long-term improvements. Once the engineers present their recommendations, the ministry intends on tabling before Cabinet for consideration.
Community and Society
Second Maya Women’s GPS Team Certified in Midway Village Inclusive community mapping is the only way to produce accurate maps
Fifteen Q'eqchi' Maya women received Certificates of Participation after completing five days of training in the use of the hand-held GPS and compass. The training was organized by SATIIM with funding from the European Union in a project to protect and promote the economic, social and cultural rights of Maya women in Belize.
Community and Society
Maya Community Forestry Enterprise Gives Back to the Community: SATIIM’s technical assistance in business and conservation training pays off
Santa came early this year to a Q’eqchi Maya village in Toledo District when its community forestry enterprise gave holiday food baskets to every household. Rax Mu Qiche, a sustainable forestry business run by and for Conejo, a buffer community of the Sarstoon Temash National Park, shared the wealth from a successful business cycle this week. Unlike other forestry businesses, Conejo’s model combines Maya customary values and traditional natural resource management with sound business practices. – And this year it paid off.
Government
Rural Communities Receive Access to Electricity
The Ministry of Public Utilities, Energy and Logistics signed a memorandum of understanding with the Ministry of Sustainable Development, Climate Change and Disaster Risk Management for a grant of US$50,000 from the United Nations Development Programme’s EnGenDER: “Enabling Gender-Responsive Disaster Recovery, Climate and Environmental Resilience in the Caribbean.”
Government
Government extends lockdown in southern villages due to COVID-19 infections
The Government of Belize has decided to keep the three villages in the Toledo District, Conejo, Midway, and Barranco, under lockdown for an additional two weeks. The lockdown was implemented on July 2nd, along with a curfew from 8PM to 4:59AM. During these two additional weeks, the government will continue assisting the people in these villages with food packages and a weekly stipend per family.
