52 families in the Orange Walk and Corozal Districts received keys
to their new homes yesterday at a ceremony in San Narciso Village. As we told
you last night – the recipients are residents whose homes were devastated
by Hurricane Dean. Well two years after Dean, those most affected have a new
place to call home. Here is the story.
Keith Swift Reporting,
This thatch house which Minelia Novelo called home in San Narciso Village for
35 years was one of the 275 houses in Corozal devastated by Hurricane Dean.
Minelia Novelo, Received new home
“I feel sad because when they said the wind was coming, I lost all
my things.”
But two years after Hurricane Dean, Minelia Novelo has replaced most of those
things. She has new furniture, new appliances, but most of all she has a new 
hurricane proof four bedroom concrete house. It is built in the same yard as
her hurricane battered thatch house – providing a stark contrast of how
far she has come.
Minelia Novelo,
“Thank God I have a next new house. I feel glad. As soon as it finished
they told me I could move inside.”
Keith Swift,
“How does this compare to your old house?”
Minelia Novelo,
“This one is hot and that one is cold but it is too much hot.”
Minella Novelo and her family was one of 52 families who received keys to their
new hurricane proof homes yesterday from Minister of Economic Development Erwin
Contreras and the European Commission’s Ambassador to the region –Marco
Mazzochi Alemmani who is satisfied with what he’s seen so far.
Ambassador Marco Mazzochi Alemmani, European Commission
“I’ve just seen a little stretch of road and I’ve seen
a couple of shelters and what I’ve ssen is satisfactory but time will
tell.”
Hon. Erwin Contreras, Minister of Economic Development
“It is a part of our project and we feel happy to be here with the
people that really deserve it who are getting it.”
The $1.8 million project was funded by the European Commission and implemented
by the Social Investment Fund and Katherine Mendez from the National Authorizing
Office says the poorest of the poor were chosen.
Katharine Mendez, Director – NAO
“Our role as the National Authorizing Office is to ensure that implementation
happens in the proper manner and that funds are allocated to the most needed.
A criteria was developed to focus on the poorest families and also NEMO was
involved in the process. So we had individuals from NEMO and the Social Investment
Fund, they came up with the criteria and I want to mention that there were poor
families but there even poorer families. There were levels of poverty and so
it is poorest of the poor that were chosen for this particular project and we’ve
been two exercises to make sure that we chose the best persons who could fit
that criteria.”
Ambassador Alemanni who also commissioned new sugar roads yesterday says that
Europe is Belize’s biggest donor and despite the recession – the
EU will stand by its commitments.
Ambassador Marco Mazzochi Alemmani,
“We have a large program ongoing and more funds had been pledged before
the crisis to Belize, more than ten million euros for the regular program and
48 million euros for the sugar program which is being implemented now to larger
extent in terms of roads and that means by and large $150 million so it is a
significant amount of money when you think that it all comes in terms of grants
and this makes by the way the European Union the largest international partner
of Belize and these funds that we committed before the crisis, we are standing
by them. We are going to commit them and we are going to implement them and
we are going to disburse them notwithstanding the crisis.”
Again construction of the homes cost $1.8 million and in addition to
that, 20 homes and 10 shelters were refurbished.
Email
Print