The document summarizes microfinance projects in Northern Belize led by the Belize Project nonprofit. It describes two main projects: 1) A "runner route" project to connect local craftspeople with tourist shops, which was not financially viable due to high transportation costs. 2) A women's rice milling cooperative in Cristo Rey village that received a loan, allowing local farmers to grow and mill rice locally at lower costs than existing options. The experience taught the author more about life in Belize than microfinance directly.

1. Microfinance in Northern Belize:
by Christopher Brittain with the Belize Project
Background:
While in Belize I worked for the Belize Project, a Nashville based nonprofit that works in education, health, and micro-finance. It is run nearly
single-handedly by Mac Kelton, its founder. In Belize, a student from
the University of Tennessee, Connor Rogers, and myself stayed in a
village called Patchakan, in the northernmost district of
Belize, Corozal. During my last week in Belize, we were joined by
three Vanderbilt graduates who all had degrees in economics, as well
as Mac Kelton. Belize is a small country in Central America that has a
mixed Caribbean/ Latin American culture. For a country of its size, its
population is very diverse. Its official language is English, though large
parts of the population speak Spanish, English Kriol, and native Mayan
languages. The village I stayed in spoke mostly Spanish, and had
strong ties to Mexico due to its proximity. The map to the left shows the
locations I worked in as well as the roads I took while in Belize.
The Runner Route:
The project that Connor and I spent the most time on was a
“runner route” project. This project started when Mac Kelton met
several craftspeople in the small villages near
Corozal, specifically a man named Rodney. Rodney lives in a
less-than-great village right outside Corozal Town, San Antonio.
He has had trouble getting steady employment, but he is a very
talented wood-carver. Mac also noticed that the tourist shops
located in Belize City and San Pedro did not carry many
Belizean-made crafts. So, Connor and I went and surveyed
these craftspeople like Rodney to see what they could
make, how long it took them, and how much they charged. Then
we went to the tourist areas, went into the shops, and tried to
see if they would purchase these same crafts and if they
would, how often and at what price. Ideally, there would be a
large enough profit margin that the difference would be able to
pay a middleman, or runner, who would travel to the villages
each, pick up the crafts, and then take them to San
Pedro, Belize City, and the Art Box in Belmopan. However, the
high transportation costs and other transportation limitations
prevented this particular idea from working out. We
did, however, find stores willing to carry the crafts and one that
would, after meeting the craftsperson and evaluating their work
once, allow the craftsperson to mail their products to his store.
The Rice Milling Project:
One of the projects that Connor and myself worked on was
the creation of a women’s group that would run a rice milling
operation. This was also the focus of the Vanderbilt graduates
during their week in Belize. Belize has many areas that are
well suited to growing rice during the rainy season, including
the Corozal and Orange Walk districts. In Orange Walk, a
group of Mennonites has a large rice milling operation
going, and along with their other operations, has become a
dominant force in agriculture in Belize. These
Mennonites, based out of Shipyard, will also clean rice for any
farmers who come by. The problem is, it costs too much for
most farmers, and the Mennonites have set a minimum limit of
rice they will clean; most farmers grow significantly less than
this minimum. Transportation, as I learned first-hand, is also
quite difficult in Belize, and thus most farmers cannot even get
their rice to Shipyard. As a result, most have stopped growing
rice, and the Belizeans, who eat rice and beans for most
meals, have started buying rice instead of growing it. Our
project attempted to solve several problems. First, by placing
a rice-milling operation in a closer village, and charging
less, we enabled local farmers to grow rice. Second, by
setting up an organized women’s group to run the
operation, we employed members of the community who
would otherwise go unemployed. We made the loan, as
shown in the charts to the left and below.
Conclusions:
My experience in Belize was very
educational. I learned far more
about life in Belize than I did about
micro-finance, however. I also
accomplished 1.5 of the projects I
set out to do, assuming the women’s
group stays together and makes
enough profit to pay off the loan.
Within the next year, farmers in
Corozal should be planting rice and
milling it in Cristo Rey, and the
runner route will be reworked and
hopefully established.