El Progreso in the Cayo District, Belize Health Center Solar System and Internet Cafe Belize March 11, 2011

BELIZE DEVELOPMENT FOUNDATION SAN ANTONIO VILLAGE, CAYO DISTRICT BELIZE Email: [email protected] Telephone: 011 501 664 5318 El Progreso in the Cayo District, Belize Health Center Solar System and Internet Cafe Belize March 11, 2011 2. Organization Information a. Lead Organization Contact person: Fernando Tzib Telephone: 011 501 664-5318 Email: [email protected] b. Information of other members Francisco Tzul Telephone: 011 501 625-2518 Email:[email protected] 3. Table of Contents 1. Cover Page 2. Organization Information 3. Table of Contents 4. Summary 5. Project Background and Context 6. Project Description 7. General Objective 8. Specific Objectives 9. Expected Results 10. Expected Results and Impacts Indexes 11. Activities 12. Timeframe of Activities 13. Organization and Management of the Project 14. Inputs to implement the project 15. Budget 16. Implementation Plan Annexes 4. Summary The Health Center in El Progreso lacks electricity and has been used as a community center at times and is located adjacent to the Government Primary School and also to the library. None of these buildings have electricity. The solar panels to be installed will be able to generate and provide electricity for lights to these buildings for the use of the monthly visit of the mobile clinic personnel, community meetings and also for a small internet café, therefore, the primary and secondary school students will benefit from the electricity provided by the solar panels. The Village Council will provide the computer for the internet café so that the teachers and students can have internet access. Two computer jacks will be installed so that users with laptops could also use the internet. 5. Project Background and Context The Health center is located in the village of El Progreso in the Cayo District and is approximately 15 miles from the major town of San Ignacio. It serves the villagers of El Progreso Seven Miles. This was originally an immigrant community of refugees who settled there during the civil wars in Guatemala and El Salvador in the 1980s.The Health Center caters for a total population of at least 1500. The village does not have a resident medical doctor and the patients need to be transported to San Ignacio Town which is sometimes very inconvenient because the bus that serves the village had already left and chartering a private vehicle is too expensive for the poor farmers, who make up the majority of the population. The material for the Health Clinic building was donated by the government of Belize and the villagers constructed the building. The building is used once a month by the visiting medical team to provide health clinics to the children i.e. vaccinations, weight checks, minor ailments, etc. The Ministry of Health and the Ministry of Agriculture have earmarked the provision of healthy foods and preventative health care as the way forward in affording better health for Belizeans and are therefore, seeking ways to better the health conditions of the rural population. A solar powered health clinic fits in the macro plan of the national government for a cleaner health environment through the use of alternative sources of energy, the provision of preventative health care, and eating healthier foods. The village of El Progreso is one of the major growers of vegetables and other food crops but there is an urgent need to involve the community, through education, to eat healthier foods, to keep their environment clean, and to use alternative sources of energy to mitigate the effects of climate change. A solar powered clinic is a contribution toward better health in the sense that the nurses can keep their vaccines refrigerated while they conduct their clinic in the village and can stay there for longer hours so as to provide ample time for the children to be brought for their vaccinations, weight- checks, and minor ailment treatments. Spending more time in the villages will allow for the nurses to show health videos while they wait for the children to be brought. There is also the possibility of showing health videos to the children in the school which is adjacent to the clinic. The community center which is also adjacent could benefit from the solar power. The community meetings which are now held during the day on Mondays, and are poorly attended could be held at night so as to increase participation. Preventative measures of combating diseases have been proven to be more effective especially when the general public is educated about eating well, keeping the immediate surroundings clean of receptacles that harbor vermin and mosquitoes that transmit diseases such as malaria and dengue. The clinic will also provide regular checkups for diabetes, and hypertension patients. When the medical team, from the health department, visits they will have the conveniences for carrying out their duty such as vaccinating the babies and weighing them with a digital scale. The villagers upon hearing of the project to provide electricity to the clinic pleaded for the project to include internet services since the children and teenagers need to use the internet to do their assignments. The closest internet service is in the village of San Antonio which is five miles away. Students sometimes stay in San Antonio to surf the web and then trek the five miles at night to go home because there is no regular transportation from San Antonio to El Progreso. They see the advantages that the teachers will also have if they have a supply of power for a copier/printer. Teachers usually have to go to san Ignacio (15 miles away) to print and make copies for exams. The community really needs an internet service since the electricity for the clinic will be utilized once per month until a medical doctor is posted permanently there. The internet service will serve the students and tourists who frequent the area. 6. Project Description The project seeks to provide electricity by installing solar panels and a satellite dish at the El Progreso Health Center which are non functional at night because of the lack of electricity. It also seeks to link El Progreso with the world through the internet and also to address the need for students to stay late after school in San Antonio (5 miles away) to use the internet. The students’ academic performance will be enhanced because they can rest more and have the use of the internet closer to them. In the past some students often dropped out of school because of the lack of internet services in their community. San Antonio did not have internet services at that time therefore, they had to stay back in san Ignacio which is 15 miles away and getting home was very risky. The project will serve the community members, teachers, students, and the tourists who visit the village. 7. General Objectives a. To utilize solar energy to provide electricity to the El Progreso so that the monthly health clinics could spend more time in the community and play a more active role in educating the community members in preventative health care measures. b. To provide a reliable source of energy for an internet café for the use of primary school children, high school students, teachers and tourists. This source of alternative power could also provide power for the storage of pharmaceutical and medical supplies that need refrigeration, lighting, the operation of basic medical equipment and educational equipment such as a power point projector and television, and contribute to climate change mitigation. 8. Specific Objectives 1. To establish a 5/200W solar array to generate the electricity for a health clinic, internet café, and lighting for a community center when they hold meetings. 2. To reduce greenhouse gas emissions through the use of clean energy from solar energy. 3. To educate community members, especially the schoolchildren and mothers about the need to reduce greenhouse gas emissions into the atmosphere to mitigate climate change. 4. To increase the participation of community members in maintaining their community clean and eating healthy foods. 9. Expected Results • The solar energy will provide energy for digital equipment for weight monitoring. • The clinic will have a small refrigerator to be used for monthly of the medical personnel who offer health services. • A desktop computer with internet connection for the use of the teachers, students, tourists, and the community members. • A reliable supply of power for a small internet cafe. • A power source for lighting for community meetings. • The students will not need to get home late at night because of staying behind in San Antonio to use the internet to do their assignment and teachers can print and copy exams when they need it. 10. Expected Results and Impacts Indexes Expected Results Indexes Unit 1. Units to install 5/200 W Solar Panel Units installed 2. Area to plant or reforest 3. Capacity to install 1kw/day 4. Beneficiaries 150 families Male 100 Female100 5. Knowledge and understanding of the • 2 persons trained technology • 2 alternative energy awareness classes 6. Diffusion 2 informative meetings Economical, Social and Environmental Impact Unit Indexes 1. Economic savings 2. Improvement of income level $150 3. Jobs opportunities 3 persons employed part time 4. Cleaner production 1 kw/day 5. Reduction of greenhouse Gases(ton/CO2) 6. Reduction of gasoline 11. Activities 1. Design and final review of the system to be installed 2. Procurement of the solar system and accessories a. Down payment of 25% 4. System Installation and maintenance training course 5. Operation and maintenance 6. Final report of system installation 7. Training of Community leaders by Technicians 8. Health education classes at the schools 9. Alternative Energy and Greenhouse Gas Emissions education classes 12.

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