By Alan Schultz
Spring 2023 Newsletter

P4P Belize has several community outreach programs aimed at aiding people throughout Belize City and other parts of the country. The following pieces are descriptions of these programs that illustrate how P4P Belize goes beyond distributing bicycles in their community.

Employment

The sale of bicycles overseas is crucial to Pedals for Progress and our international program’s success. P4P Belize employs young men as sale associates who help Derrick move the items throughout the city, ensuring they reach the people that need access to transportation.

The sales process involves a range of strategies, from larger street market sales to smaller individual transactions arranged through word of mouth or online advertisements. The sales reps earn a commission on the sale of the bikes, with a recommended starting price set by Derrick. This gives the salesmen incentive to maximize their efforts and help Derrick distribute the hundreds of bikes that we send him.

This employment program gives the young men a steady job, reducing the likelihood of them looking for other ways to make their money on the streets. They also aid Derrick in numerous roles within the organization when there is down time while bike sales are slow. By empowering these young men with employment and valuable skills, we not only contribute to their personal growth but also strengthen the overall impact of our mission in Belize.

Feeding Programs

Food insecurity is an issue on a global scale. No matter the direct cause, when families and individuals struggle to get food, becoming self-sufficient is exceedingly difficult.

P4P Belize has a feeding program that reaches out to families who are unable to provide enough food for their households. P4P Belize identifies these families and helps by providing chickens or pigs, which helps alleviate the burden of securing regular meals. Without the daily stress of finding their next meal, families can focus on other crucial responsibilities and pursue employment opportunities. This, in turn, enables them to save more, improve their financial situation, and create a pathway to a better future.

The food provided through this program is partially funded by bike sales. P4P Belize also makes the time to check back in with these families to ensure that their needs have been met sufficiently. This ongoing engagement helps us build strong relationships and ensures that the program has a lasting impact.

Medical Aid

Prior to partnering with P4P, Derrick acquired buses and an RV from the United States through another charitable organization he has partnered with. Driving them down to Belize himself, Derrick was able to get the vehicles into Belize. From there, he has used them for several projects.

Derrick uses them to transport and distribute medical supplies to community members in need. With the size and mobility of the buses and RV, Derrick ensures that essential healthcare resources reach those who require them most. This initiative plays a crucial role in improving access to medical assistance and addressing healthcare disparities in the region.

While not in use for aid, Derrick rents the buses to visiting programs from the United States to earn a passive income. Income generated by the bus rentals are used to offset programs like the feeding programs and other charitable causes. The concept of offsetting program expenses, which P4P advocates for, was already being implemented by P4P Belize in a different context.

Aguacate, Sewing

Partnering with other outreach organizations, Derrick can access more remote areas of the country rather than strictly focusing on Belize City. Derrick has helped set up a small sewing operation in the remote village of Aguacate with the help of Toledo Outreach Center that frequently helps the small community.

During my visit I was able to be present during the day we donated 20 sewing machines to the villagers and a bicycle to the chief. Kicking off this program we met with the women and expressed out gratitude and detailed what we hope to achieve.

The women in Aguacate are being trained by a woman named Maria Coe who works with the Outreach Center on sewing projects specifically aimed at educating single women how to sew. Through this training program and using the machines provided we will be able to make a lasting change to how the community can earn more.

Going to and from the small village is done only a few times a week when buses bring community members to the nearby town of Punta Gorda on the coast. It is our hope through the sewing program that once the women are trained, they will be able to make repairs to clothing making trips to town less frequent. It will also give the women opportunities to make their own clothes and other merchandise to sell within the village and in town when they do make the trip.

Prison Sewing

The Fall 2022 newsletter has an article on the P4P Belize Sewing Program in the Belize Central Prison. On January 27th 2023 Derrick and I were able to make the starting donation of 20 sewing machines to fully kick start the program. Through his connections with other charitable organizations, Derrick will be able to provide the prison with a volunteer sewing teacher to lead class sessions. Part of a successful reform for incarcerated people requires a reinvestment in the people that found themselves behind bars. Educational aid gives people in Belize Central Prison a chance to continue to better themselves once they are done serving their time. Educating people within prison, giving them tangible skills, makes it easier for them to become productive citizens once outside the walls. If they can use their specialized skill such as sewing, they have a better chance of finding employment. They then will be far less likely to become repeat offenders. In turn this creates a safer nation with a more vivid economy.

By Richard Dutko
Fall 2022 Newsletter

[ Editor’s note: Our bicycle and sewing machine collections can yield hundreds of donated items by a wide range of individuals in the greater tri-state area of New Jersey. Each item we collect has a backstory. During our collections we sometimes get to hear snippets of these stories. I always enjoy these tales as it helps me put into perspective the scope of our mission and injects a more personal connection to the otherwise inanimate objects we send overseas.

The story that follows is from a donor that I was able to speak with via email about a large industrial sewing machine dating back to the 1930s. The history and personal story behind this machine gets me incredibly excited to know that it will be able to develop an even more intricate life after sending it to our partners in Belize.]

I was looking for a place to donate an old Union Special sewing machine, mounted on a thick piece of wood, that was in my father’s basement for about five decades or so. It was heavy; the table measured 48″ wide by 20″ deep by 55″ high at the top of the spool holders. My father passed away at 102 years old and his house was being cleaned out and listed for sale, which was difficult to do. I am definitely a reduce-reuse-recycle type of person and finding homes for a lot of my father’s possessions was a priority of mine.

Family members had the opportunity for keepsakes but much of it was donated to various organizations. Finding a place for the heavy vintage Union Special was more difficult than most. I don’t really use eBay or Freecycle or any of those sites, even though I should learn how to do so. We tried friends, a couple of dry cleaners/clothing repair stores and local charitable organizations without success. So I was thrilled when I found Pedals for Progress on the internet!

I must admit, my own memories of the sewing machine are fading. I recall my father using it several times in his basement, but can’t pinpoint when and what for. I am pretty sure it was for repairs on heavy material such as a leather handbag for my wife or a duffel bag for myself or my children. I believe he made central air conditioning covers for all of us on that sewing machine, those types of things. He was so handy and was affectionately called “Mr. Fix-It” by us all. He would hand-sew all kinds of things for the family, had a regular Singer sewing machine for easier items, and the Union Special for the heavy-duty projects.

He had a standard Singer upstairs for most sewing repairs. That one was given to a friend of a family member. My father was an exceptional handyman, even in his 80s and 90s. I recall him going into the basement to sew something for someone within the past 10 years. In the 1940s and 1950s he was an upholsterer with his brother. I assume this machine came from his brother’s business many years ago.

The photograph is of my father Albert Dutko (left) and his brother Joe, when he helped his brother run an upholstery business. We guess that the photo is from the 1940s or 1950s. My father was the youngest of ten children (he was born in 1919), and helped his brother with the business into the 1960s.

I recall as a youngster helping them take the material out of a chair or sofa being reupholstered. My job would be removing the fabric between the arms or back of the chair and the cushions. This fabric pocket would often have coins and other items that fell into them. My pay for the day were the coins and treasures I found inside the furniture. The Union Special was in my uncle’s workshop where they did all their work. How or when my father got the machine, I do not know. He moved into his ‘new’ house in 1956, and I was born in 1958.

I wish I knew more of its origin. I never asked him where it came from, or if he told me, it was long ago and didn’t register in my memory bank. After his death in July of 2022, we all admired the old machine, but none of us really knew how to sew or use such an antique, nor had the space for it. During my internet research to find out how old it was, I came upon a PDF of a manual that was printed in 1939 for this model 61300C. So that places it in the 1930s era. I am so glad to hear that this wonderful old machine is finding a new home in Belize. We hope that the machine has another few decades of life in it!

2184 bikes and 275 sewing machines shipped since 2022

Partner: Pedals for Progress Belize
with God Cares Outreach

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By Derrick Pitts
Spring 2022 Newsletter

[Editor’s note: Pedals for Progress is happy to announce a new partnership in Belize led by Derrick Pitts under the project name “P4P Belize”, an extension of his existing community outreach program. Belize, like many coastal countries in Central America, relies heavily on tourism to fuel its economy. Beyond the breathtaking beaches, coastal reefs, and sandy shores that attract an onslaught of tourists every year, the forgotten cities and urban areas are being overrun with poverty that has spawned violence, crime, and civil unrest. The country’s already fragile economy took a massive hit when 50% of its population automatically became unemployed when international tourism came to a screeching halt due to the coronavirus pandemic.

This new partnership will provide the people of Belize City with used bicycles and sewing machines donated by generous individuals in the United States. Access to bicycles will allow people to expand their reach within their communities to access jobs that may otherwise be too far to get to on foot thus improving unemployment rates. P4P Belize will also improve upon their numerous community outreach programs that include food services, educational support courses, medical assistance, and mentorship programs. P4P Belize intends to focus on both the individual and family unit as a way to maximize their impact in people’s lives. Below is an introduction from Derek talking about the challenges found in his country and the goals set by P4P Belize.]

Greeting from the Nation of Belize,

For some this might be the very first-time hearing about this nation and for others the nation of Belize is the perfect vacation destination. But for many, the true reality of this nation is unknown and tucked away behind our beautiful beaches, luminous forest, and large barrier reef with great diving.

Here is some information on this small nation in Central/Latin America and the Caribbean. In all of Latin America we are the only nation with English as our primary language; we were once a colony of the British empire. Our country to the west and south is bordered by Guatemala, to the north by Mexico, and to the east by the beautiful Caribbean Sea. Belize is considered a “vegetable salad” because of the diversity of culture. Our cultures include Creole, Mestizo, Garifuna, Mayan, and Hispanic with a little of every other culture mixed in. Even with our diversity we are still a nation with a population of just 400,000 people.

Approximately 50% of Belize’s population are children and youth below the age of nineteen. A large percentage of this population is concentrated in the urban ghettos of the south-side of Belize City, specifically in the Port Loyola area. Many of these children live in poverty and are exposed to violence, crime, and civil unrest. This environment has contributed to increases in:

• homicide
• gang-related crimes
• dropping out of primary and secondary schools
• teenage pregnancy
• child prostitution
• STIs/STDs

Little emphasis is being made to reach these children and youth. They are considered criminals and uneducated. Because of this social inequity the children and youth on the south-side have limited access to legitimate forms of self-sustainment and employment opportunities.

As Pedals for Progress Belize we exist to transform communities one life at a time. Our aim is to reach out to the “least of these” and provide hope of a better tomorrow. You may ask how we do this? Our strategy is as follows.

Reach the Kids

We reach out to children in these impoverished communities and offer holistic support.

We have a food service. Many of these kids come from single-parent homes where the mother is the sole breadwinner. By providing meals we are not only helping these kids to be nourished but also taking some of the burden off the mom.

We offer educational support. With the recent pandemic, international tourism came to a complete halt. This affected our country drastically, causing 50% unemployment in our population. This had a negative effect on the education system as many parents did not have the funds to keep their kids in school. Through our organization we were able to provide scholarships, tutoring and necessary school supplies. We have an ongoing educational program, as we firmly believe that a quality education can break generational poverty.

Medical assistance: In many of these communities there is limited to no medical care being offered to the less fortunate. Our organization has a mobile clinic that goes into these communities and offers medical assistance, especially to the young, providing vitamins and necessary hygiene supplies.

Mentorship: Children and young people need positive guidance to navigate some of the realities they are currently facing. We have peer helpers that teach these youths life-skills and principles to help them succeed.

Connect the Parents

We quickly realized that many of the kids felt loved, accepted, and supported in our programs, but when they got home they went back to what they were trying to escape. We saw that it was crucial for us to engage the parents. One way we were able to do that is through economic empowerment: providing a sustainable platform for single mothers to gain an income. These platforms include sewing, jewelry making, cooking, and craft. This has changed the dynamics in the home.

Impact the Community

Our hope is that, as we see transformation in the lives of these individuals, they won’t move out of their communities but rather be a part of the transformation of their communities. Our goal is to change these communities through our development program, where we build houses, community centers, community gardens, and parks.

Through the new partnership with Pedals for Progress USA we will be able to do even more in the three areas of our strategy. We will provide part-time jobs for at-risk youths and single moms. We will also develop our sewing program and teach individuals how to sew and make an income. Through our partnership we will be able to provide these individuals with bicycles to help them with transportation to get around and gain an income.