Belmopan Entrepreneur Launches FundBelize as Local Alternative to GoFundMe

Earlin Thimbriel, a Belmopan businessman, had seen it time and again; a family in desperate need of funds for a medical emergency; a student trying to raise money for tuition. In Belize, like everywhere else, people turned to the international crowdfunding site, GoFundMe.  It is a powerful tool, but for many Belizeans, it was a frustrating one. The platform’s reliance on credit cards and PayPal accounts created a barrier to entry, a digital fence that separated those who needed help from those who wanted to give it. The simple act of a Belizean helping a fellow Belizean was made complicated by the limitations of international banking systems.  The problem weighed on Thimbriel’s mind and thought that what was needed was a not-so-complex system that is rooted in a local platform.  This was the genesis of his idea: FundBelize.  We join Correspondent LJay Wade for more on this story.