On Friday of last week UNICEF launched its yearly state of the world's children report. But when it comes to the state of children in Belize, we don't really need a report to know that in many areas we are simply not faring off well enough when it comes to ensuring that our children are properly educated and fed. Nonetheless, the report was launched and this year UNICEF opted to take it to where it matters more, Punta Gorda in the Toledo District, the district that is faring off worse than everywhere else in the country.
Alfonso Noble Reporting,
Choosing not to do it in Belize City - the country's major population center or Belmopan - the political capital, UNICEF took to the Toledo district to launch its state of the world's children report. UNICEF's Roy Bowen says this is done to spotlight to the situation of children in the Toledo district.
Roy Bowen, UNICEF
"The launching of the state of the world's children has lot of significance for Belize because it zeroes in on 3 main areas: poverty, HIV/Aids, and armed conflict. In the case of Belize armed conflict is not a problem but poverty is a problem. If you look at the poverty indicators, I am sure you have, you will see that children are the ones who are living in poverty the most. So we are hoping that at least raising the issue out here in Toledo will put the issues of Toledo again in the national debate."
That began with UNICEF visiting a couple schools where it has helped improve conditions for children. In Crique Jute they visited this water reservoir that services both the students of the school as well as residents of the area. For the principal of Crique Jute, the contribution, though small has significantly improved the water supply.
Principal,
"We always get our drinking water from here now. Before we used to get water from the old hand pumps and they usually run dry during the dry season or maybe after 3 weeks of dry weather usually it runs dry and then the people start to go out and get water from wells sometimes that are contaminated. So the water tank here is a great improvement. Its not that contaminated like what we have at the wells, springs, or the pumps out there. Its something we have waiting for a long time."
In San Jose the feeling is the same as the student body gathered with great fanfare to cut the ribbon declaring their new school building opened.
Principal,
"This new building is going to be used for 2 classrooms to house the standard 2 and standard 3. It was proposed for a library but the funding agency said no, you need to use it for a classroom and that's why. At present we have a total of 60 children inside the classroom. At present the increase in the number of children is going up and therefore within a year or two we definitely need a new building so definitely there is a need for a funding agency to be around. We use it as a classroom and second we can use it as a shelter. As you know we are being hit by hurricane Iris in 2001 and now we have a building that can be used for that hurricane shelter and for a classroom. So it's a great benefit."
But while Cal sees the benefit to the children in his school, UNICEF says the work is not done and it is continuing on its quest for better conditions for children and in particular for those in this most poverty stricken district. The National Committee for Families and Children's Judith Alpuche says that the focus in the country and particularly in this district is the national plan of action.
Judith Alpuche, NCFC
"It has 6 main areas of attention looking at health education, child protection, the family, HIV/Aids, and culture. It is at this moment a laundry list of things of that we need to do but certainly we do have to do some implementation planning and we are well on the way to doing that. There is an imperative to invest in children, to ensure their development, to ensure that they reach their full potential on so many levels because it really impacts the kind of development you will in your country. And if a country can meet the basic needs of its children then surely it has met the basic needs of everybody else because you know children are the most vulnerable anywhere in the world. This district fares the worst in all the major indicators for children in infant mortality rates, in literacy rates, in primary school completion rates, and right down the line so we really do need to look to local groups for guidance as to what the priority areas are in Toledo."
And UNICEF's country director Nadia Vasquez agrees. Her agency is formulating strategies to begin the work on the national plan of action by singling out the nutrition component.
Nadia Vasquez, UNICEF
"One of the main issues will be nutrition. We need to know how the situation is in Toledo and try to have good information to use in proposals for the area of nutrition. I think that is important. Nutrition under 5 years is important because after you cannot recuperate the situation of children."
Judith Alpuche,
"We are certainly look at that as a priority. We have a monitoring and evaluation committee that we are setting up under the chair of Miss Elizabeth Talbert and they will be looking at the data that they need to monitor this plan. Some of it is not available, for instance the stuff on nutrition is very outdated and there are some things that don't exist. So those studies will have to be done so that we can ensure that we are making progress or at least checking to see if we are if we are not that we really have to adjust our strategies to make sure that we are meeting our targets."
Hopefully this concerted effort to advance the national plan of action will alleviate - in some way - the poor conditions that the Toledo children and by extension the entire district live under.
For more on UNICEF and its report you can log on to www.unicef.org.