And switching gears, last night we brought you a snippet of the inauguration of the solar powered system in Graham Creek, the southernmost village in Belize. It's completely inaccessible by vehicle, and the residents must either walk 7 miles through mud and water or travel via boat to get in and out of the village. The area is so remote, its cell service comes from Guatemala, and it has been without electricity from its inception.
But as of last year, the village now has solar powered electricity - enough to light up their homes and for other basic activities, such as charging their devices. The installation of the solar systems was no small feat and took the partnership of many different entities. But despite the challenges, the determination of three indigenous solar engineers, Miriam Choc, her sister Cristina Choc, and Florentina Choco, made the project possible.
Courtney Menzies travelled south to attend the ceremony yesterday and has this story, starting with the two hour journey from Punta Gorda to Graham Creek.
The partners for this project include GEF Small Grants Program, UNDP Belize, Plenty Belize, and the Ministry of Rural Transformation. The engineers, who initially trained in India, have formed their own company, Belize Power Connect Limited. Later on, we'll have more form Graham Creek.
