The YWCA has launched a new project, it is called Addressing human rights for more equitable development. It sounds like a very involved and difficult plan but the team hopes to make a difference with this 4 component project. The main focus is on teaching young girls and women about their rights and training them to become leaders and advocates. We stopped by to find out more at the launch.
Kiri Lizama, Project Coordinator, YWCA
"Today we are doing the official launching of the addressing human rights for equitable development project at the Y. It is an EU funded project and it is being implemented in 3 districts so in Cayo, Stann Creek and of course here in the Belize District."
Courtney Weatherburne, reporter
"So tell us what the project is about and how long have you guys been putting this project together?"
Kiri Lizama, Project Coordinator, YWCA
"Right, so we officially signed on to this project in November and we have had a facilitators training so far. The project is really made up of four components, the first component has to do with advocacy and human rights training sessions we are engaging about 500 young women and girls."
Courtney Weatherburne
"Who will be part of the training?"
Kiri Lizama, Project Coordinator, YWCA
"Right, exactly so the initial part of the first component has to do with advocacy and engaging them. The second component has to do with counselling and psycho-social support because when you engage with vulnerable populations you don't know what you might encounter so there will be support for that. And the third component has to do because this is the Y, there is a skills component and training to make them have income generation and the final component has to do with training of trainers."
"We have met with the Ministry of Human Development already. We have engaged them and the way we want to approach partnerships is do a referral system and the idea you know we aren't going to change the world with a project like this and different organizations there are a lot of limitations and so by engaging our partners we hope to meet the needs of persons and kinda have this comprehensive approach, comprehensive interventions to the issues we are seeing."
Some of the training sessions have already started. The project coordinator and her team have also connected with an international rights group in Canada to assist in this project.
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