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.