SATIIM held its 7th General Gathering at the Mennonite Multipurpose Center in San Pedro Colombia on October 29th 2015. The General Gathering is where the SATIIM gives an overview of all activities conducted over two years to community representatives as well what will be done over the next two years. It is also an opportunity for the buffer communities to share what opportunities and threats exist in their communities to other members. As part of its institutional strengthening, the Gathering unanimously passed a resolution to ensure that the Board of Directors be made up of community representatives from the SATIIM communities.

Project Title: Strengthening Q’eqchi Maya Women’s Access and Control of Economic Resources through Sustainable Agriculture, Business Development and Marketing Logistics

Supported by: The European Commission

Objective: To increase gender equity and economic parity among Maya women in Belize through the creation of a women-run farmers association that combined Western sustainable practices with ancestral cultivation and introduced new marketing methods.
Summary: SATIIM coordinated a project to promote the social and economic empowerment of one of the most marginalized groups in Belize: Maya women. SATIIM worked with women in the Q’eqchi village of Midway in southern Belize. The women formed a farmers cooperative they named Bright Star. It served as the center of training on new sustainable agricultural methods and business planning. By the end of the project, Midway women were running their own vegetable and farm supply store in the village and looking to increase their inventory.
Accomplishments:
*SATIIM conducted research and published the report, The Main Barriers and Constraints of Qeqchi Women’s Participation in Economic Activity in Toledo.
* The project increased gender equity among Maya women in southern Belize by first creating the first bylaws in an indigenous association to specifically include a section on women’s rights.
*Midway women created a business plan and then started to operate their own business – the first women-run supply store in the village. As a result, they manage their own incomes. They have also started to plan for another enterprise.
*The construction of a storage facility enabled, for the first time, Midway farmers to store their corn, instead of selling the fresh harvest to brokers who re-sell back to them at ten times higher prices.
*New sustainable farming practices resulted in yields 200% higher than plots in the region.
Lasting Impact: As a result of the project, the Bright Start women’s cooperative made plans to continue using the new agricultural practices to cultivate their traditional food, given the high yields. They have also started planning an organic chicken business.. Their goal is to become one of the biggest suppliers for the surrounding villages of these locally grown birds that are always in high demand and command higher market prices.

Thirty eight Rosewood flitches were found on the Bank of the Sarstoon River inside the national park. Significant amounts were located further away. The rangers did not extract the logs because of safety reason. The locations of the operations are the areas of the Black Creek and the Graham Creek. Since the Government of Belize terminated its partnership with SATIIM, only SATIIM has maintained presence since August of 2013.

SATIIM continues to patrol the entire area along with traditional leaders considering that some of these areas from part of indigenous peoples traditional lands.

Considering the escalation of illegal operations in the area, SATIIM appeals to the Government to support the efforts of SATIIM and the indigenous leaders to safeguard the pristine resources. rosewood logs