7 News Belize

BEL: "Connecting Homes, Improving Lives"
posted (September 18, 2014)
Many of you living in the urban areas, don't know what it's like to live without electricity.

The closest experiences you may have are those occasional power outages. But many people living in the rural areas live in a perceptual state of darkness, where, for some, their only sources of light, is the restricted glow of candle light or stolen or borrowed electricity. BEL's "Connecting Homes, Improving Lives" project that was launched today, is changing that reality for rural communities across the country by installing free service entrance for rural residents. Today an official ceremony was held in Camalote Village and one of the recipients, Mark Andrews explained how this light initiative will light 'up' his life.

Sean Fuller, Senior Manager, BEL
"The European Union, the Government of Belize and B.E.L. initiated a project to electrify forty-three communities throughout this country. At the end of the project, we did a survey and we realized that about thirty or forty percent of the customers within these communities are connected to the system. The additional sixty or so percent of residents just could not afford the basic service entrance required to connect to the network. So the savings that we realized from the initial project, we went back to the EU and requested the use of those savings to install service entrances for the needy. BEL will install a thousand service entrances throughout the country of Belize; 850 of which are being sponsored by the EU and another 150 by BEL. For the EU funding we have about 43 communities where residents of those communities will be able to enjoy free service entrances - as much as 850 of them. BEL has committed to do an additional 150 in other communities throughout the country."

Mark Andrews, Service entrance recipient
"It was hard because I was paying high bills because I was borrowing current from the neighbor. I wasn't happy with it because I knew that I was paying more than I was supposed to pay. The house will be better for me because I could use the currant how my want, like my kids who are going to school, they could iron their uniforms and I wouldn't have to worry about using the currant like when I was borrowing it for someone."

The service entrance installation normally costs $800 to $1,200 dollars.

Home | Archives | Downloads/Podcasts | Advertise | Contact Us

7 News Belize