My name is Pedro Xol and I am fifty-three years old. I have been working with SHI-Belize field trainer, Herminio Sho, in my community of Sundaywood for about three years. Last year, my wife started a little shop in our home selling chips and juice. Since I am now too old to work hard on our farm like I used to, I told Herminio that I would like to make our shop bigger. If the shop was bigger, we could make more money so we could send our children to school, feed them properly and repair our old home. Herminio said that SHI-Belize has a program that lends money, and he would talk to the person in charge of it. About a week later, he came with a micro-loan application and asked us questions about our family and business experience. Later in the week, Herminio returned with Yasmin Ramirez, the SHI-Belize Business Coordinator. Yasmin asked a lot of questions to help us write a business plan.

Road Scholar Chocolate and the Maya: A Service Adventure in Belize

PLEASE NOTE: Registration for this trip is restricted to families who have enrolled through the Road Scholar website.

Calling all grandparents and grandkids looking for a summer adventure! Join Sustainable Harvest International and Road Scholar for a service learning program in the jungles of Belize.

In addition to complex religious and political systems and a fully developed written language, the ancient Maya also mastered the cultivation of cacao, the source of our beloved chocolate. Grandparents and grandchildren taking part in this program will lend a hand to modern Mayans who are working on sustainable farming projects including growing organic cacao. The group will learn how cacao plays a big part in preserving the culture and environment of southern Belize and get the see the production of chocolate from bean to bar. Trip participants will also get to explore ancient ruins, kayak a jungle river and marvel at monkeys, iguanas and exotic plants.

Program intended for grandchildren from 10 - 13 years of age.

TRAVEL COSTS
Payment for this trip is handled by Road Scholar.

READY TO TRAVEL?

•  Register online now.
• Download the Info Packet for this trip.
• Contact us for more information.

SHI families are excited to welcome volunteers into their homes and share their community and farms. Homestays in the community will be rustic, without indoor plumbing and electricity, but we know the students are up for the challenges and simplicity of rural living.  In addition to experiencing day-to-day life in the rural communities, the group will visit national parks, tour ancient Mayan ruins and make delicious chocolate.  Get ready for meaningful service projects and the tropical adventure of a lifetime!

Sustainable Harvest International-Belize welcomes students and educators from Vermont Academy to their programs this spring.  The group will take part in sustainable farming projects which protect Belize's natural resources while improving quality of living in rural communities.  This educational trip will provide opportunities for cultural exchange, service learning and seeing some of the world's most diverse tropical ecosystems. Trip participants will work alongside local staff and families to plant vegetable gardens, establish tree nurseries, build wood-conserving stoves and more.

READY TO TRAVEL?

• Complete the REGISTRATION FORM.
• Download an INFORMATION PACKET (pdf) for this trip to learn more.
• Contact us for more information.

Visit our Belize program page to learn much more about this country program.

Belize Rainforest Service Adventure!

(Please note: This trip is only open to Johns Hopkins Center for Talented Youth families. If your group would like to schedule a trip like this, please contact us.)

Does your family want to make a difference during winter break?  Join CTY Family Academic Programs for an exciting service-learning adventure in the rainforests of Belize!

Join CTY as we travel to Belize, a country that boasts a lush tropical landscape, untouched rainforests, ancient Mayan history, and modern Mayan culture. However, southern Belize’s natural treasures are quickly disappearing under pressures of slash and burn farming, rapid development, and growing populations.

Sustainable Harvest International (SHI)*, a locally-run, non-profit organization, is working with families in Belize to combat these problems. SHI provides farming families in Central America with the training and tools to preserve our planet's tropical forests while overcoming poverty. During this exciting program, CTY participants will contribute to this mission by working alongside Belizean families and SHI staff to complete hands-on, meaningful projects such as building wood-conserving stoves, reforesting burned fields, or establishing school gardens.

In this itinerary, we will also visit Lubaantun Mayan ruins and learn about ancient Mayan civilizations in southern Belize. As we study the connection between agriculture and society, we will get a hands-on experience to learn how cacao is grown, roasted, and made into traditional Mayan hot chocolate. You will also get to visit waterfalls, swimmable caves, and a modern chocolate factory! Families will leave with a deeper understanding of the intertwined economic, environmental, and social challenges facing the people of Belize and other developing countries.

Our accommodations will be fully-furnished, private, thatched cabanas in the eco-hotel Cotton Tree Lodge, which is nestled between unspoiled rainforest and the banks of the Moho River. We will have time to take advantage of their on-site activities, such as kayaking, garden tours, and horseback riding. An optional trip extension will send you snorkeling on the Belize Barrier Reef!

Sign up early for special pricing!

Register on or before August 1, 2011:

$4,970 per family (includes one student and one parent):

$1,980 per additional adult (age 18+) $1,440 per additional student (age 8-17)

Register between August 2 and October 26, 2011:

$5,170 per family (includes one student and one parent)

$2,080 per additional adult (age 18+) $1,540 per additional student (age 8-17)

Cost includes...

• Fully-furnished accommodations in private en-suite cabanas at jungle eco-hotel, Cotton Tree Lodge

• Round-trip flights between Belize International Airport and Punta Gorda

• All meals during length of the program, including soft drinks and juices

• Transfers between Punta Gorda and Cotton Tree Lodge

• Tax-deductible donation to Sustainable Harvest International of $150 per person

• On-site activities, including kayaking, horseback riding, bicycling, garden tours

• Tour guide, all activities and tours as listed in the itinerary (see below)

• All taxes and gratuities

Cost does not include...

• Airfare to and from Belize International Airport

• Travel/Evacuation insurance • Passport, baggage, laundry, medical,

or other personal expenses • Optional activities, optional trip extension to Belize Barrier Reef

(Please note: This trip is only open to Johns Hopkins Center for Talented Youth families. If your group would like to schedule a trip like this, please contact us.)

When staying at the Cotton Tree Lodge in the Toledo District, Belize, you are invited to join SHI for a day-long service project, which may include building a wood-conserving stove, reforesting land, or planting an organic school garden. Working side-by-side with SHI families and staff, you will have the opportunity to learn first-hand about the cultures and communities you are assisting. You will also gain a deeper understanding of SHI’s environmental and social efforts within Belize and across Central America.

Volunteers depart in the morning and return mid-afternoon. Your day of volunteering includes a traditional Belizean lunch prepared and served by an SHI family in their home.

Volunteer opportunities are available regularly on Wednesdays, and additional dates may be available by request. Please complete the registration form at least one week before your visit to Cotton Tree Lodge to make arrangements. SHI requests a tax deductable $50 donation per person to defray the costs of staff time and materials. Sustainable Harvest International is a 501c3 non-profit organization and donations may be tax-deductible.

For more detailed information, please download our Belize Day Trip Volunteer Guide.

Ready to register? Click here!

This past fall and winter, SHI-Belize organized its 2nd Annual Organic Fair in Punta Gorda, which drew hundreds of visitors from across the country, including representatives from government and nongovernmental organizations. Twenty-two families participated, and they sold over 95% of their products (produce, tree seedlings, seeds, compost, etc), generating hundreds of dollars in income. According to one participant, Gordon Zuniga, he was able to sell over $200 in seedlings and compost, well over a week’s pay in Belize.

SHI-Belize staff and participants have been undergoing intensive training in rural community development and organic agriculture, and welcomed SHI board members and staff in January.

SHI-Belize participants reforested approximately 34 acres with over 9,000 trees.  They expanded current cacao and agroforestry plots with a goal of future commercialization and protection of ecosystems. Staff conducted 124 training events with participants, including basic leaf-cutter management with jackbean (canavalia), cacao plantation care, cover crops and more.

My name is Julia Cucul, and I am living in the village of Dolores in Belize. My family and I are very happy to see the work that has been ongoing with Sustainable Harvest International in our village.

Before joining SHI program I was in a woman’s group and we were given a lot of false promises by a lot of different organizations, but nothing came to pass. I asked to do some small projects but we could not get any assistance.

I was promised by other NGOs that they would help with gardening, but most only made one visit and then never showed up again. It happened that SHI reach the village of Dolores one day, and we all thought that it was just another pipe dream. It wasn’t so… SHI came and stayed and is doing a lot of wonderful work here in my little village.

Sustainable Harvest Belize has received a generous grant from the Free Family Foundation which will enable the program to expand to nine new villages over the next 3 years. One of the first communities to benefit from this support is the Mayan community of Hicattee. Sustainable Harvest Belize Director, Nana Mensah says, “It is really great that we are now able to reach more communities that have been asking for help. There are 19 families in Hicattee and they have never received support from another organization. There is no road to reach their village, so it is difficult for them to market their crops. They have no electricity or clean water for drinking or irrigation. During the coming months, we will be working with them to build water catchment tanks, wood-conserving stoves and gardens.”

Though the dry season is long over, and the flooding of the Mojo River has begun, the land remains scarred by the slashing and burning that typically occurs in May.  Despite these environmental challenges, SHI-Belize has helped to plant over 45,000 trees and diversify participant farms so that they can cultivate on a more permanent basis versus the using migratory techniques of others.

Along with the hardwoods and fruit trees planted, participant families are producing cash-crops, like cacao and ginger.  Recently, families have begun planting the leguminous drumstick tree (Moringa oleifera) in their agroforestry systems to utilize their nutrient rich leaves in a ginger tea/spice powder.  The tea is currently sold by local restaurants and stores, but there are plans to expand that market elsewhere in the country and possibly abroad.

SHI-Belize is also innovating in areas that reduce costs and waste, such as a new approach to tree nurseries. Hollowed plantain and banana trunks sliced in 12” and 18” sections serve as a decomposable alternative to plastic nursery bags and reduce post-transplant stress.