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Economic Upliftment Projects In Guatemalan Border Communities
posted (December 20, 2018)
And while the official position on the map remains unclear, on the ground, efforts are being made to make good fences and good neighbors.

The Guatemalan Consul in Benque Viejo told us about ongoing projects in border communities to promote economic wellbeing and discourage incursions into Belize:

Edgar Chan, Guat. Consul General - Benque Viejo
"We have a program - through the Ministry of Agriculture - several projects are being done in various communities, first sustainable development projects. We have San Jose Las Flores where the incident with the child Julio Alvarado occurred. There we have aquaculture projects, vegetable farming projects, projects with laying hens, projects in which the community is participating and the government of Guatemala is investing to promote those projects with the intention of preventing them from going into the Chiquibul."

Reporter
"Do you believe it is sufficient?"

Edgar Chan, Guat. Consul General - Benque Viejo
"Like all processes, we will not fix the world overnight, that is very difficult. But I am certain it has had its effects because the detentions - the statistics - went down since the government invested in these projects in these communities that border the adjacency zone administered by Belize."

Chan says there are 14 Guatemalan communities along the border with an average of 150 families each.

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