Elder Home Care Programme Expands with New Funding Agreement

The Ministry of Human Development and Families signed an agreement today to fund a project to expand its Elder Home Care Programme. The endeavor seeks to train more than 20 caregivers for the elderly to enhance the quality of life of persons over 60 years old. Reporter Benjamin Flowers was at this morning’s launch and has that story.

Benjamin Flowers, Love News: The Ministry of Human Development is increasing support for Belize’s elderly population through a project that gives caregivers special training. Today the Ministry signed an agreement with the Secretariat for Central American Social Integration, SISCA, to fund the venture. Minister of Human Development Dolores Baldoramos Garcia says Belize’s over 60 population has growing needs and the project is one way her ministry is responding to those needs. 

Dolores Balderamos Garcia, Minister of Human Development, Families and Indigenous People’s Affairs: “The project will be implemented by our Women and Family Support Department under the director Starla Bradley and basically what more can I say, I’m just very happy that we could be focusing on our elderly folks of Belize and making sure that this program will not only benefit our elderly themselves but also benefit the training for the caregivers of our elderly folks. 

Benjamin Flowers, Love News: SICA has sourced the funding through a cooperation agreement with the government of the Republic of China, Taiwan. On site for the signing was Ambassador Lily Li Wen Hsu, Taiwanese ambassador to Belize, who said that Taiwan has been an observer nation in SICA for over 30 years and supports many of its initiatives. 

Lily Li Wen Hsu, Taiwanese Ambassador to Belize: “This project is more related to the social development of Belize. So it’s related to helping the social integration and the resilience in the region. And I know this project actually is initiated and also already implemented by the Ministry of Human Development of Belize. And we were just providing them to support technical training to the caretakers, caregivers to the elderly in Belize, that this is an ongoing project but we support extra resources so they can train more certified caregivers and to provide better care and better help to the needy elderly.”

Benjamin Flowers, Love News: Anita Zetina, secretary-general for SISCA, explained that the value of the project is $50,000 Belize dollars. She also expressed that the need to strengthen social support systems became apparent during the COVID-19 pandemic. 

Anita Zetina, Secretary General, SISCA: “We need to sign this agreement to transfer the financial resources to the ministry to be able to undertake the project that they have presented to us at the secretariat. As I mentioned before the issue of care systems needs to be strengthened and has been particularly of interest of all the countries in the region after COVID came to light that we need to prepare to care not only for the elderly population but for persons with disabilities, for children, the entire care system from childhood to adulthood is important and we from the region support countries to be able to improve those systems that will give a better quality of life for all but particularly the most vulnerable in our society.”

Benjamin Flowers, Love News: According to CEO of Human Development Adele Katzim Sanchez, the project embodies the ministry’s principles of diversity and inclusion by allowing older persons to receive the training themselves so they can be employed as caregivers. 

Adele Katzim Sanchez, CEO, Ministry of Human Development: “We noticed while working in the field that there is a growing need from families and from communities indicating to us that as we age in terms of our population growing and aging that there is a need for specialized services to allow older people to live with greater dignity and independence. This project is twofold. One is training people to be caregivers and the other is actually making sure that we invite vulnerable people to come to the training to be able to gain an income from being trained and certified as caregivers for older persons.”

Benjamin Flowers, Love News: The training component of the project will take up just over $22,000 of the funding, while the balance will be used to provide care packages for the elderly persons who the caregivers will be assisting. Benjamin Flowers, for Love News.