YOUNG WOMEN'S CHRISTIAN ASSOCIATION
Belize
Recent news
YWCA Week 2013
“Together We Aspire. Together We Achieve”
March 17 marks the 57th birthday of the Young Women’s Christian Association of Belize! The celebrations will run from Saturday, March 16 to Saturday, March 23.
- YWCA Week kicks off on March 16 with a Post-Bike Rally Breakfast at the YWCA from 6:00 - 9:00 a.m. That evening, the YWCA will celebrate Women’s Month on the Sea with an International Night Catamaran Fundraising Gala leaving from Old Belize at 6:30 p.m. Dress to impress in cultural attire. Many prizes and surprises including prizes for the best dress individual and couple.
- The Anniversary Church Service will be held at St. Johns’ Cathedral at 3:00 p.m. on Sunday March 17. We encourage everyone to come out for what will be a both fun and inspirational service. Arrival of the World YWCA President, Dr. Deborah Thomas-Austin.
- Grand Opening of the YWCA National Resource Center for Enterprise Development Tuesday, March 19 at 2:00 p.m. in Belmopan. Joining in this special occasion will be Sir Colville Young GCMG, MBE, Governor General; Ambassador Paola Amadei of the European Union to Jamaica, Belize, the Bahamas, Turks and Caicos Islands and the Cayman Islands; Ambassador Yvonne Hyde, Chief Executive Officer, Ministry of Finance and Economic Development; and Dr. Debra Thomas-Austin, President of World YWCA.
- The Seanagers are having a Health Talk on March 21 at 3:00 p.m. Topic : Stroke.
- Lookout on Friday March 23th for the YWCA Motorcade, traveling the streets of Belize City, celebrating our birthday and inviting all to come out to the YWCA Open House. Motorcade will include: Daycare Prince and Princess, Little Mr. and Miss Y, Miss. Woman of Valor, Ms EEOEM and Ms. YWCA.
- The Grand Finale of Y Week is the YWCA Open House. The Open House will be held on Saturday March 24. There will be lots of fun things to do, food to eat, and great things to buy. There will be swimming at the Pool. Help Students will be offering manicures and pedicures. In Addition, the VCT Clinic will be providing free HIV testing. We will have a variety of food to include: Turkey dinner, BBQ Chicken, Cowfoot Soup, Gibnut, Boil Up, bread and bun and much more, plus many other sweets and treats. The YWCA family will be providing cooking demonstrations. There will also be Basketball competitions, games and fun for the entire family.
It’s a family Extravaganza. See you there!
YWCA Opens New Branch in Belmopan
March 19, 2013
The Young Women’s Christian Association (YWCA) celebrated 57 years of existence this past Sunday. A week of activities has been planned to commemorate the anniversary. One of those activities was the opening of a National Resource Center in Belmopan. The building, which was inaugurated this afternoon, is located on Trinity Boulevard near the Anglican Church. The property is land donated by the City and includes a computer lab, rooms for cosmetology and sewing, a kitchen and conference space. President of the Y.W.C.A., Sheree Smiling-Craig gave the initial address at today’s event.
Sheree Smiling-Craig – YWCA President:
"It is truly my honour and pleasure, to welcome you to this historic occasion – the inauguration of the Young Women’s Christian Association Belmopan branch. The Y is known for advancing knowledge and promoting physical development, as well as other creative activities. In addition, the YWCA is dedicated to rendering significant public service to a range of age groups, from the very young, as you saw, to the elderly, who you will meet shortly. Above all, in all its varied activities, the YWCA promotes spiritual growth, healthy living and leadership. It is clear that the YWCA’s unswerving dedication has achieved impressive results in helping young women and youth, take charge of their lives, build skills, increase their self-esteem and improve their communities by being mentors and leaders."
World YWCA President – Deborah Thomas-Austin was also present at today’s inaugural event.
Deborah Thomas-Austin – World YWCA President:
"I am so pleased to be in Belize for a few days this week, to celebrate with the YWCA of Belize, its 57th Anniversary of service to the community, empowering women and girls and changing their lives. It is clear that the YWCA’s name in Belize is well respected and is associated with a long history of service, which continues to impact and change the lives of so many women and girls. This is a true reflection of the spirit of the YWCA movement."
Other partners on the project included the European Union, and the Government of Belize. Next Saturday, the YWCA is hosting an Open House, preceded by a motorcade on Friday. International YWCA President Dr. Deborah Thomas of Trinidad will be in town to participate. The YWCA operates a special school for young girls in Belize City as well as a pre-school and several project activities. It was first established in Belize in 1956.
YWCA Outlet Grand Opening
December 19, 2012
The YWCA Outlet is now open to the public through the EEOEM Project. The outlet have a variety of local arts and gift items, made by Belize's Rural Women throughout the country of Belize.
We have baby sheet sets, jewelry, vase, flowers, bags, clothes, purses, wine, cups, chair cushions, serving trays, local cook book, black cake, fruit mix, johnny cake mix, kitchen aprons,...and so much more. Have to come check it out.
Women Leading Change
Marcie Martinez from the YWCA of Belize
Being able to represent World YWCA and YWCA Belize at AIDS 2012 is a great privilege. Since the time I have reach Washington I have been overwhelmed with all that has been happening. The conference is an international conference that is hosting thousands of delegates from around the world. Therefore the opportunity to meet and network is great. On Friday the 20th of July we started to participate in sessions that highlighted the work that is being done all over the world in regards to HIV. I believe that many people are really doing great work in the fight against HIV. However, I do believe that we all are missing something in this fight because the numbers for new infections are still very high. There is still so much to be done, even in my country. Everyday having been in Washington, I am learning that HIV is affecting humanity everywhere but at the end of the day we are working in unity to tackle HIV.
Also, meeting and being able to work with the other YWCA delegates has made being able to participate in AIDS 2012 much manageable. I am very impressed with the YWCA delegation because they are dynamic leaders who are very passionate about making change in their communities. I have been enjoying my days getting to know these amazing women. We have been participating in marches and attending sessions that are highlighting the issues that have been arising around HIV. We also had the opportunity to meet Congresswoman Jen Schakowsky who represents the district of Illinois. She is an amazing woman who is passionate about women’s right. We were all excited about sitting with her and sharing what the different countries in the YWCA delegation are doing in the area of HIV.
Great things happening in Washington right now!
YWCA Belize Elects New President at AGM
Mrs. Sheree Smiling Craig is the new President of the Belize Young Women Christian Association (YWCA). She was elected at the organisation’s Annual General Meeting on Monday, May 28, 2012.
Mrs. Craig’s involvement with the YWCA, Belize can be traced to her teenage years as a member of the Youth Group. During those years she was actively involved in membership drives and fundraising efforts to renovate the main interior hall and kitchen area. She was instrumental in starting a mentorship program that partnered each member of the youth group with an elderly woman in the community, targeting those who lived alone. She, along with other youths, helped to organize entertainment, made home visits, and helped them with small errands. For several years, she conducted exercise classes for women of the “Y” before leaving the country to study abroad. She has been particularly responsible for tabulating at the ever popular and most important fundraising activity, the Ms. “Y” pageant for seniors. Mrs. Craig became a member of the Board of the “Y” in 2008 and continues in service to the women and youth of Belize.
Mrs. Craig is bringing extensive business experience to the YWCA. Her professional experience includes work in the financial industry and as an educator. She is married to Dr. Peter Craig and they are proud parents of twin girls and a son. Mrs. Craig succeeds Dr. Carla Barnett who provided outstanding leadership to YWCA for the last three years.
The other members of the executive are: First Vice-President, Beverly Brown, Second Vice-President, Sheryl Terry, Treasurer, Jacqueline Taibo and Secretary, Jennifer Smith. The other board of directors are Sonia Lenares, General Secretary (ex-officio member), Dame Elaine Middleton, Norma Sutherland, Lejia Melanie Gideon, Ann Marie Williams, Alifa Elrington, Yolanda Murray, Geovannie Collins, Shellon Nunez, Joyce Flowers, Candice Gomez, Tricia Gideon, Denise O’Brien Young, Gina Garcia, Marlise Leslie, and Gaynell Williams. The all volunteer board brings experience, leadership and commitment to guide the efforts of the organization. The YWCA of Belize commits to 25 percent of Board positions being filled by young women aged 30 or under. Both the Executive and the 16-member board of directors will be sworn in at the next board meeting.
Guest speaker for the occasion was Ms. Margaret Nicholas, Director of Belize Family Court. Ms. Nicholas said that she is very impressed with the important work the YWCA is doing in the community and encouraged those present to support the initiative of the “Y” for a better quality of life for women and the youth of Belize. YWCA Belize has been working with the Belizean Community for 56 years.
YWCA and EU signing ceremony
YWCA Belize, through the Expanding Economic Opportunities through Entrepreneurship and Market Development (YWCA EEOEM Project – funded in part by the European Union and the Government of Belize), are addressing identified needs of rural women and youth to reduce poverty and increase successful enterprise development. Our goal is to create economic opportunities for and improve the livelihoods of rural women and youth to become more productive, generate income and employment. There are 4 (four) main components of the project:
- MSE’s And Market Assessments And Analyses - Identify successful business entities that produce and/or market products & services, foster necessary relationships for product marketing and/employment, and develop effective market strategies and action plans. Through business mentoring and technical support which will begin October 2012, participants receive assistance in improving their business portfolio and access to markets.
- Training - Administer on-site skill-building training and outreach-oriented training in the selected district and rural areas. Beginning January 2013, at least 200 rural women and youth will receive training in Business/Product Development; Marketing; Accounting/Booking; Personal Development; Public Health; Computer; Sewing; Housekeeping, Cosmetology.
- Enterprise Development - Create small and medium businesses within rural villages that can offer added employment, skills development, and cultural identity acceptance.
- YWCA Infrastructure Development— Expand the existing YWCA Market Outlet in Belize City (completed December 2012) and construct a National Enterprise Development Centre in Belmopan (completed February 2013). These networks will allow for market access of the products/services developed, and therefore provide women with the opportunity to achieve sustainable livelihoods for themselves & their families. They will also facilitate the long-term delivery of the YWCA’s on-going skills training programmes.
The YWCA Belize had a booth at the Belize Chamber of Commerce & Industry Expo2012 on September 15-16, 2012 that showcased some of the rural women and youth who are a part of this project and gave them an opportunity to market and sale their products and services. An added advantage for the women and youth who participated with the YWCA booth was that many of the major companies and their market representatives were at the Expo; in addition to thousand of Belizeans who had a first-hand look and feel of the various products produced by the rural women and youth. This was also an ideal opportunity to develop formal market linkages and/or relationships with marketers/outlets in our effort to create economic opportunities for rural women and youth.
