The Belize Youth Challenge Programme campus, which supports youths at risk, was renovated to provide a safer, more functional space for those youths. The multi-purpose sports facility in San Ignacio benefits the community of 4,000 persons, providing new ways to be active and a safe space to stay healthy and build the community through community outreach; it also hosts the women’s newborn birth feeding programme.
“The Belize youths are very involved in sports, and an opportunity like this allows them to develop their talent but also to develop their mindset. Sports is a discipline, teaches us discipline.”
Hon. Kevin Bernard, Minister
The completion of the infrastructure for the Human Development, Health and Sports project has a direct impact on the lives of the community members in the San Ignacio area and is also a positive influence for the youths of Belize.
“This initiative was the first of its kind for Belize and the Government of India and provided the much-needed resources and support that assisted us in addressing some of the root causes of poverty in Belize, such as young men’s vulnerability to crime and violence, young female vulnerability to early pregnancy, poor nutrition and lack of fitness opportunities for all ages. We recognize that access to safe and inclusive spaces can contribute to overall social and personal development of our communities,” said Hon. Dolores Balderamos Garcia, Minister of Human Development, Families and Indigenous Peoples’ Affairs.
“The Cayo North facility is now a resource in Saint Ignacio community and provides an opportunity for all to be positively engaged in healthy development and activities. The Belize Youth Challenge is a voluntary programme that recruits young males from across the country and presents these youths with an opportunity to turn their lives around towards more positive and productive paths. I am…grateful for the opportunity to now thank the Government of India and UNDP for investing in the well-being of Belize’s vulnerable populations,” said Hon. Dolores Balderamos Garcia, Minister of Human Development, Families and Indigenous Peoples’ Affairs.
Hon. Kevin Bernard, Minister of Youth, Sports and E-Governance, emphasized that “the upgrades at Belize Youth Challenge Programme will bring a more pleasant working environment not only for the coordinators of the Programme but also for our young people…We are working jointly to ensure that those young people, their minds are given some mentorship and at the same time can go back to the community and the society as meaningful citizens of this country.”
