My Job!

Hi Everyone!

I finally had the opportunity to take some time and sit down to write a blog entry about my job here in Belize. I was a little overwhelmed at the thought of doing this blog entry as the organization I am working for seems to be quite simple but in reality is quite complex. I did my best to keep the description as simple as possible while still trying to provide a clear understanding of how it works. The following is somewhat of a lengthy entry, but try your best to get through it – even if it means you have to come back a few times to finish it. I’m hoping that once you finish reading this you’ll have a greater understanding of my work. I’ve broken the entry down into three parts: a description of the organization, a few facts regarding the Toledo District (where I live and work in Belize), and then a little personal reflection on my work. I hope you enjoy what I had to say and if you have any more questions about my work please feel free to shoot me an email (pcassidybze08@gmail.com ß just incase you forgot!).

Description of the Organization:

The organization that I will be working for during my two years in Belize is the Socio-Economic Outreach program (SEO) which is affiliated with the St. Peter Claver Parish located in Punta Gorda. The organization came about in 2003 after the coming together of common interest in social justice and working for the poor by means of economic development in Toledo, the southern most district of Belize. After completing her Masters Degree program at Harvard University, Ms. Dorla Bowman, Director of SEO - and my boss, returned to her homeland of Belize and began the construction of the Animals for Others (AFO) Project with the help of Fr. Dick Perl, Pastor of St. Peter Claver Parish, and Ms. Peggy Rooney of St. Joseph Parish in Wauwatosa, Wisconsin. Since this time, the SEO program has grown and developed dramatically into a successful and life giving organization. Other programs that are a part of SEO include the Cultural Understanding Activities program which works with foreign visitors, mostly from the USA, to guide them in a better understanding of the cultures of Belize and the Economic Justice Project which works at the grassroots level with handcrafters, regardless of religious beliefs, to improve their crafts and generate income through Belizean Flavor Craft fairs, exhibitions, and competitions.

Soon after the beginnings of SEO, the Animals for Others Project evolved into the Fighting Poverty and Mal-nutrition Program (FPM), the section of the organization in which I will be performing the majority of my duties as SEO’s Program Officer. FPM was created in response to the needs of the poor in the Toledo district by means of reaching out to these families through the rearing of pigs and chickens. SEO’s FPM program works by identifying no-income and low-income families in the traditional Mayan villages of Toledo through the village school systems.

Once the family is identified, they receive training in areas such as the care and management of animals, the cultivation of crops to be used as a substitute food source for animals and people, the implementation of integrated farm management, and various entrepreneurship skills. Following the initial training, the family receives either one female pig or two local chickens (one male and one female so as to be able to reproduce) depending on their level of income. Those in the lowest level of income receive chickens as they are less costly to raise. For those who receive pigs, each village has one designated family that has also been given one male pig. This male pig is used for means of reproduction. When a family’s pig is in heat, they bring her to the home with the male pig so she can be serviced – as they say in the Belizean agricultural world. After a family’s pig or chicken gives birth for the first time, they are required to give two newborns back to the program so to be passed on to other families in need. Along with outside donations for the purchasing of new pigs and chickens, this is how the program is maintained. With the remaining newborns, families are able to sell the pigs or chickens, either to the program or other locals, as a means of profit, or raise the pigs and chickens, some for reproduction and/or others to be slaughtered for food. The majority of the families use the pigs and chickens as a source of food as well as an income source which is used to pay for their children’s high school education.

Through its work, SEO has continued to successfully labor towards reducing poverty in the Toledo District by being an advocate for the poor. It has worked towards the improvement of farming skills among families in Mayan villages so as to improve human nutrition. With these efforts and many others of which are not noted here, SEO has not only been able to bring about greater economic means for the villagers, but has also guided them in the development of a greater sense of self. Through their ownership and rearing of animals, families’ have also benefited from an increase in confidence and pride in their new sense of self-reliance and empowerment, in knowing that they themselves are capable of caring for and supporting their own family.

Facts Related to the Toledo District:

The main reason for the establishment of Socio-Economic Outreach (SEO) was, and continues to be, to assist in structurally addressing the poverty situation in the Toledo District. The following are some of the main facts related to the poverty crisis in Toledo. These facts have been taken from the most recent official poverty assessment.

· Percentage of the population considered to be living in poverty: 79%
· One out of every two persons living in the Toledo District suffers from mal-nutrition.
· Toledo has the most rural concentrated population (81.7%) compared to any other district of Belize.
· The total fertility rate is 5.6, the highest compared to any other district.
· Immunization coverage in Toledo District is lower than the national rates.

Personal Reflection on My Work:

When I received my job placement before coming to Belize, I had a much different perception as to what I would be doing in my position as Program Officer of SEO & FPM. I had thought that the micro-lending work that I would be doing would entail the lending of money to local families to aid them in the development of self-owned business. Never did I think I would be doing micro-lending work in terms of pigs and chickens!

What I have come to see throughout these past few weeks of work is that the work done by SEO, through its Fighting Poverty and Mal-nutrition (FPM) program, is not just about pigs and chickens. It’s about empowerment – empowerment of those who are in the most need, and empowerment of those who desire and deserve a greater sense of self-worth and self-reliance. These people are the poor. SEO is about being an advocate for the poor and working alongside them to guide them in learning to become an advocate for themselves.

The work being done here is by no means to be considered welfare; it is about cultivating sustainable development. Through the rearing of pigs and chickens, the people of Toledo’s Mayan villages have been able to develop a sense of stability for their families. They have enhanced their understanding as to how to provide economically, educationally, and physically for their families by means of a lifestyle that is native to their culture.

The opportunity that I have been given in working for SEO is one that I know will provide me with many challenging yet life giving experiences. I have been blessed with the opportunity to travel district wide into Mayan villages getting to know not only the families of the program but also the various differences and characteristics of each individual village. I am grateful for have been given this opportunity which I believe will not only make a difference in the lives I am working to serve, but also a significant difference in my own.