Carib Scope

分类： society

  • Backyard Farming Becomes Lifeline for Belizean Families

    Backyard Farming Becomes Lifeline for Belizean Families

    Against a backdrop of steeply rising global food costs that have put severe financial strain on household budgets across small developing nations, Belize has seen a quiet grassroots movement take root: ordinary citizens are turning even the smallest patches of urban backyard space into productive home gardens, cutting grocery expenses and reclaiming food security one seed at a time. What began as a practical coping mechanism for ballooning market prices has grown into a community-wide shift that empowers people to take control of their food supply, regardless of how little land they have available.

    In the densely populated coastal neighborhood of Buttonwood Bay in Belize City, long-time resident Michelle Sampson has transformed her modest backyard into a thriving, diverse urban farm that supplies nearly all of her family’s fresh produce. Ten years ago, Sampson launched her garden as a way to process personal grief after a major loss; today, her small plot boasts five varieties of tomatoes, leafy lettuce, sweet bell peppers, bananas, plantains, strawberries, raspberries, grapes, rosemary, basil and cabbage, all growing in the limited space of a suburban residential yard.

    Sampson says the garden has drastically cut her monthly grocery bill, eliminating the need to buy the most expensive fresh produce at local markets. She also wants to dispel the common myth that growing your own food requires large plots of land or natural gardening talent. Even renters with no permanent yard can grow produce in containers on verandahs, she notes, and anyone can start small with just one plant to test their skills. “If you keep saying, oh I can’t grow this, I don’t have a green thumb, you will never know what you can do,” Sampson explained in an on-site interview. “You can start with one tomato plant. I have friends that grow them in pots on the verandah if you are renting. You can always take them with you. You have a space on the side, you can just do one little plot.”

    The movement to embrace small-scale home food production is not limited to adult home gardeners. At Belize’s Sadie Vernon High School, students are already learning the skills to launch their own backyard growing systems, building a campus aquaponics project that combines vegetable cultivation with freshwater fish farming in a compact, self-sustaining cycle. Students Joselin Sanchez and Mildreth Gonzalez manage the system under the guidance of their teacher Malaak Middleton, monitoring growth, maintaining water quality, and tracking the project’s progress as part of their coursework.

    The small aquaponics setup already produces a steady supply of white cucumber, cabbage, peppers, and edible fish, all grown organically by the students. Sanchez notes that the cyclical, self-reproducing nature of aquaponics makes it an ideal long-term solution for households struggling with high food costs, helping families cut hundreds of dollars in annual grocery expenses. For Gonzalez, the project has added a layer of personal satisfaction that goes beyond cost savings: “I have actually eaten the white cucumber that is really delicious. And it feels good, because we grow it and it’s our achievement and we eat it and it is good.”

    Middleton says the project is designed to inspire the next generation to embrace home food growing as a lifelong practical skill, hoping the experience will add lasting value to her students’ lives and encourage them to share their knowledge with their families and wider communities. “Teachers serve as an inspiration and I am hoping that I have served as one in these kids’ life,” Middleton said. “I am hoping this brings value to their life and in turn the community.”

    While Sampson’s garden grew from personal loss and the high school project began as an educational initiative, both examples illustrate the same core truth: most of the fresh produce that households regularly purchase at the market can be grown at home, even in tiny urban spaces. As food prices continue to strain household budgets across Belize, this grassroots movement of backyard farming has proven to be an accessible, empowering lifeline that puts food security back in the hands of individual families and communities. Reporting for News Five, Paul Lopez contributed to this report.

  • Forensics expert details discovery of Samara Bristol’s body

    Forensics expert details discovery of Samara Bristol’s body

    As the high-profile murder trial of Roger Delisle Sealy unfolds before Supreme Court Justice Laurie-Ann Smith-Bovell and a 12-member jury, a top forensic investigator has laid out chilling, detailed findings from the case that have become central to the prosecution’s argument.

    Sergeant Mervin Grace, a veteran forensic scenes of crime officer, took the witness stand this week to recount his investigation into the November 2021 death of Samara Bristol, whose body was found in remote, bushy terrain in the Mangrove district of St Thomas. On November 21, 2021, when Grace arrived at the scene, he located Bristol’s remains 86 feet from an unpaved cart road, positioned face down in thick vegetation.

    Along the narrow footpath leading to the body, Grace discovered scattered strands of synthetic hair that matched the hair the deceased wore. What he found on the body itself painted a grim picture: a rope tied to Bristol’s right ankle, with a segment of metal fastened to the rope. A gold-toned anklet rested on her left ankle, a matching gold bracelet on her left wrist, two rings on her left ring finger, and a gold necklace around her neck. Two nose rings were recovered from beneath her heavily disfigured face. Most notably, Grace confirmed that Bristol’s skull was fractured and split open, a fatal injury that has been a key focus of the trial.

    Sealy, a resident of Airy Cot, St Thomas, stands accused of murdering Bristol sometime between November 16 and November 21, 2021. Before detailing the body recovery, Grace walked the court through an earlier site visit he conducted on November 17, 2021, to the shared Airy Cot home of Bristol’s mother Samantha and the accused. What he found there was extensive structural damage from a suspicious blaze. The kitchen, living room, and dining room had suffered direct heat and fire destruction, while bedrooms and bathrooms were left heavily damaged by smoke and water used to extinguish the fire.

    After a thorough examination of the fire site, Grace concluded that the blaze originated on a three-seat sofa in the home’s living room. While pinpointing the exact source of ignition remained undetermined, the forensic officer classified the fire as incendiary — meaning it was intentionally set by human action in an area where a fire had no logical reason to start.

    Grace also noted that he found potential traces of blood on the home’s exterior roadway, an insect screen covering a window, and an interior floor, collecting swabs of the substance for DNA testing. Later that same day, investigators were led to a black-and-yellow motor lorry that had been hidden in a bushy area well off a main road in Vaucluse. After the lorry was moved to District ‘E’ Speightstown Police Station, Grace collected swab samples from the vehicle’s cargo tray for forensic testing.

    The following day, Grace traveled to a private residence in Halls Village, St James, to conduct a forensic sweep. There, he collected a doormat and a single pair of socks as evidence. Investigators also turned over to Grace a set of clothing and footwear belonging to the accused: a T-shirt, pants, and boots, all of which were taken into custody for testing.

    The prosecution is being led by Acting Deputy Director of Public Prosecutions Alliston Seale SC, joined by State Counsel Paul Prescod. Sealy is represented by defence counsel Sian Lange. The trial is scheduled to resume on Thursday, with more witnesses expected to take the stand as proceedings continue.

  • Children are Paying the Price for Online Negligence

    Children are Paying the Price for Online Negligence

    In an era defined by rapid social media expansion, where engagement-driven algorithms prioritize shocking, viral content over responsible publishing, child welfare advocates in Belize are sounding the alarm over the irreversible harm careless online sharing of children’s information inflicts on young people. Scheduled for May 6, 2026, a collaborative workshop led by the National Commission for Families and Children (NCFC) brought together media outlets, independent online news page operators, and social media content creators to address the growing crisis of unregulated sharing of minors’ personal data, images, and sensitive case details.

    Shakira Sutherland, executive director of the NCFC, opened the workshop by outlining the core risk at hand: too often, outlets and unregulated independent content creators post unrestricted details of children’s lives—including their full names, ages, residential locations, and identifiable imagery—that have no place on public digital platforms. While traditional media outlets have historically collaborated with the NCFC to implement child protection safeguards, Sutherland emphasized that unregulated independent social media news pages, most commonly hosted on Facebook, have become the primary source of harmful content dissemination. These platforms frequently spread inaccurate information, publish identifiable footage of vulnerable children, and allow harmful viral comment threads to fester, creating damage that extends far beyond the initial post.

    “This information can erode a child’s self-image, and cause long-term harm to their emotional, mental, and even physical well-being,” Sutherland explained. “That is why we are calling on every person that shares public content online to pause and think through the impact before hitting post.”

    Ganesha Smith, acting director of Belize’s Community Rehabilitation Department, who works directly with youth that have encountered the justice system, expanded on these risks, highlighting the particularly damaging impact of sensationalized media coverage of children in conflict with the law or child abuse victims. Smith explained that sensationalized framing of youth incidents does more than embarrass minors—it locks them into a permanent public negative identity that is extremely difficult to escape. This persistent labeling often pushes vulnerable youth to fall deeper into harmful patterns of behavior, rather than supporting their rehabilitation.

    Smith noted that derogatory commentary and repeated sharing of a minor’s case across platforms like Instagram, Facebook, and TikTok normalizes harmful narratives. Over time, these narratives become internalized by the youth themselves, leading to higher rates of repeat legal encounters and a regression away from positive behavioral change. She added that harmful, unfair narratives are pervasive regardless of whether a child is a victim of abuse or an offender in a criminal case: too often, coverage frames child abuse victims as responsible for their own harm, and youth offenders as inherently defiant, rather than acknowledging the complex systemic and personal factors that lead to these incidents. The workshop’s core goal, Smith said, is to shift this cultural narrative and change the content-sharing mindset that prioritizes viral engagement over child safety.

    Crucially, the workshop’s message did not call for complete media silence on stories involving children. Instead, organizers emphasized that permanent digital footprints created by careless online publishing stay with children for decades, long after the general public has moved on from the original story. By encouraging intentional, child-first content decisions, advocates hope to reduce the long-term harm that unregulated online sharing inflicts on Belize’s most vulnerable young population.

  • Elder abandonment crisis looms, senator warns

    Elder abandonment crisis looms, senator warns

    On Wednesday, Barbados’ Health Minister sounded the alarm over a rapidly escalating “crisis of elder abandonment”, as sweeping new draft legislation was brought to the Senate to impose binding legal duties on relatives and reinforce state protections for the country’s aging senior population. Senator Lisa Cummins, who also serves as leader of government business in the upper legislative chamber, used the second reading debate of the Older Persons Care and Protection Bill to urge a nationwide cultural reckoning, arguing that the crisis extends far beyond gaps in regulation to a gradual erosion of intergenerational empathy.

    Cummins painted a grim, unflinching portrait of a growing trend: the same generation that laid the foundation for modern Barbados is increasingly being forgotten, left to reside indefinitely in hospital wards and community care facilities cut off from contact with the children and families they raised. The crisis comes at a demographic turning point for the small island nation: the national median age has climbed to 42.5 years, and the country’s death rate now outpaces its birth rate, transforming what was once a private family care burden into a pressing national emergency.

    Opening her remarks to the Senate, Cummins appealed directly to Barbadian families, pointing out that for thousands of abandoned elders, hospital nurses and doctors have stepped into the role of surrogate family. She emphasized that abandonment is not merely a physical act of leaving a senior in a care facility; it inflicts deep emotional and psychological harm, as elders are left with the painful awareness that their loved ones have no interest in checking in, bringing favorite foods, or even carving out 30 minutes of free time to visit.

    Cummins drew on firsthand observations from her recent tours of the island’s Queen Elizabeth Hospital and Psychiatric Hospital to illustrate the scale of the crisis. She detailed a troubling trend she labeled the “cruel to be kind” phenomenon, where family members intentionally drop off elderly relatives at hospital accident and emergency departments, knowing they will receive safe care but intentionally abdicating their own long-term care responsibilities. What is most distressing, she added, is the total absence of contact after admission: when she asked medical staff how many families visit their elders admitted for long-term care, the overwhelming answer was that most never show up at all.

    “From the Queen Elizabeth Hospital to the Psychiatric Hospital, there is no family engagement,” Cummins lamented. “In our district hospitals, whether it is St Lucy or St Philip, family members not only are leaving them there, but they’re not coming back even to visit them. There’s something fundamentally wrong in Barbados with that. These are our elders. These are our older persons.”

    The Older Persons Care and Protection Bill has been framed as a robust legal framework that will shift the Barbadian government’s role from passive tolerance of neglect to active safeguarding of seniors. For the first time in Barbadian legal history, the bill explicitly recognizes elderly people as rights-holders, redefining respect and care from discretionary acts of kindness to enforceable legal entitlements. The legislation seeks to break the long-standing culture of silence around domestic elder neglect by introducing mandatory reporting requirements, granting broad investigative powers to state authorities, and imposing enforceable penalties for anyone found to have abused or exploited vulnerable seniors.

    Beyond addressing physical abuse and neglect, the bill targets non-physical harms including financial exploitation—most notably the widespread practice of cashing elderly seniors’ pension checks while leaving them to be cared for in state facilities—psychological manipulation, and the deliberate withholding of necessary medical care. Cummins also noted that the legislation will introduce consistent regulation for the fast-growing private residential care industry, requiring both state-owned and private facilities to meet a strict “gold standard” for comfortable, home-like environments with proper amenities including air conditioning.

    Despite these sweeping legal changes, Cummins was open about the clear limitations of legislation alone. No amount of legal reform, she argued, can replace the fundamental care and connection that comes from families and local communities. She pointed to everyday examples of normalized ageism across Barbadian society, from able-bodied young people refusing to give up seats on public transit to drivers taking disabled parking spots for quick, unneeded trips.

    “Legislation can punish abuse, it can regulate facilities, it can create duties and responsibilities… but legislation on its own will not create care,” Cummins told the Senate. “Legislation on its own will not provide for our elderly. We must still take responsibility for teaching our families respect and care for our elderly. It must be taught, it must be reinforced, and it must be socially expected.”

    The proposed bill forms just one part of a broader whole-of-society government strategy to address population aging, which is also tied to ongoing mental health system reforms and new workplace flexibility policies designed to help working-age people balance caregiving responsibilities with employment. The overarching goal is to build a sustainable support system for an aging population that does not leave the shrinking working-age population facing financial and personal ruin.

    Closing her address, Cummins challenged all Barbadians to confront the crisis within their own communities, noting that the “builders of our nation” deserve far more than just a hospital bed—they deserve the fundamental dignity of being remembered by the families they built. “This bill applies to all of us who want change, because change begins with us,” she said. “Let the answer be clear for all of us. Let us focus on the rights of our elderly. Let us ensure that we enforce this bill in our homes and in our society.”

  • Man removed from abandoned library after months of complaints

    Man removed from abandoned library after months of complaints

    A months-long public nuisance and safety crisis in the Gall Hill community of St John, Barbados, came to a long-awaited end on Tuesday, when law enforcement removed an unidentified squatter who had been occupying the derelict former Gall Hill Library, following persistent complaints from local residents over growing health hazards, threats and a severe rat infestation.

  • Police remove 49 firearms in intensified crime fight

    Police remove 49 firearms in intensified crime fight

    Barbados is grappling with an unprecedented wave of gun violence that has already claimed 23 lives this year, but law enforcement officials report early progress from targeted interventions designed to reverse the growing trend. In an appearance on the Government Information Service’s current affairs program *In Focus* Tuesday, Police Commissioner Richard Boyce outlined the aggressive steps his department has taken to disarm criminal networks and stabilize high-risk communities.

    Compared to just 22 illegal firearms seized from offenders across all of last year, Boyce confirmed that authorities have already removed 49 weapons from circulation in 2024, marking a dramatic jump in interdiction efforts. This progress comes even as the police service faces a crippling manpower shortage of 200 unfilled positions. To close the gap, the department has forged a formal partnership with the Barbados Defence Force (BDF), whose deployment to community hotspots has drastically expanded operational capacity.

    “That has worked tremendously well for us,” Boyce told interviewers. “BDF coming on board and partnering with us has made our job much easier. We’ve been able to position personnel in key locations to address these issues.” Currently, law enforcement is focused on five major organized criminal gangs responsible for much of the territory’s gun violence, and Boyce said sustained patrols and targeted operations have delivered significant tangible successes over recent months.

    Putting the local crisis in context, the commissioner noted that rising gun-related crime is a shared challenge across the Caribbean and beyond, positioning Barbados’ response on the right track. While this year has seen six more murder cases than the same period in 2023, overall crime rates across the island have fallen, he added, emphasizing that removing illegal weapons from the streets is critical to preventing collateral harm from indiscriminate gunfire. Boyce also confirmed that ongoing work to expand cross-agency partnerships, both local and international, is continuing to improve outcomes in hotspot areas.

    Joining Boyce on the program, Minister of Legal Affairs and Criminal Justice Michael Lashley reaffirmed the government’s commitment to maintaining public safety through a whole-of-nation approach, highlighting the combined police and military presence in violence-impacted communities. As part of long-term reform, the government is planning to overhaul community policing frameworks to make them more responsive to the needs of high-risk neighborhoods. A key new policy initiative, a dedicated gun court, will be established to fast-track processing of firearms-related offenses under the Firearms Act, addressing longstanding delays in the judicial system that have slowed justice for gun crimes. Lashley did not share a formal timeline for the court’s launch but emphasized that swift, consistent justice is a core pillar of the government’s crime reduction strategy.

    “We want to have a one-nation approach, and that is what you hear me sometimes speak about harbouring,” Lashley said. “Because if the whole of the nation is on board, we cannot tolerate a small section of society who believe that it’s right to harbour persons who are really impacting on the safety and welfare of Barbados and Barbadians.” The minister added that the strategy combines immediate, visible interventions to curb current violence with long-term programs to address root causes, including support for at-risk individuals and reintegration services for former offenders returning to communities after incarceration, to prevent recidivism.

    Criminologist and government crime researcher Cheryl Willoughby, who also joined the discussion, outlined deep-rooted social patterns driving the island’s gun violence crisis. Between 2020 and April 2024, Willoughby noted, 240 men – most of whom were actively contributing to the island’s economy and supporting families – have been murdered, leaving lasting social and economic harm across communities.

    Her research has uncovered a striking intergenerational pattern of gun-related crime: 57% of inmates incarcerated or remanded on murder or gun charges have other family members with convictions for similar serious offenses. Breaking that data down, 29% had family members previously convicted of murder, 20% had relatives convicted of firearms offenses, and 14% had family convicted of robbery. 80% of the incarcerated relatives were male, confirming that criminal behavior is often normalized in high-risk households.

    “It means that these young people are coming from environments where serious crime is normalised,” Willoughby explained, stressing that any sustainable long-term solution to gun violence must address shifting underlying social values across Barbados to break the cycle of intergenerational offending.

  • Belizeans Turn To Backyard Gardens as Food Prices Rise

    Belizeans Turn To Backyard Gardens as Food Prices Rise

    Against a backdrop of steady, widespread increases in national food costs, a quiet grassroots movement is taking hold across Belize: growing numbers of local residents are transforming unused home spaces into personal backyard food gardens to cut household expenses and shore up access to affordable fresh produce.

    In Belize’s largest urban center, Belize City, even small, underused yards and empty lot plots are getting new life as productive growing spaces. Residents are planting a wide range of fruits, leafy greens, culinary herbs, and vegetables that their families would typically purchase from local grocery stores and outdoor markets. For many households, this shift has delivered dual benefits: shrinking monthly grocery spending while expanding daily access to nutrient-dense, freshly harvested food.

    Michelle Sampson, a long-time resident of the Belize City community of Buttonwood Bay, says turning her backyard into a community-focused garden has fundamentally changed her household’s financial outlook. “You can’t beat that feeling of stepping out your back door and harvesting exactly what you need for dinner,” Sampson explained, gesturing to her lush plot brimming with ripe tomatoes, crisp sweet peppers, leafy lettuce, bunches of fresh herbs, and ripening banana stalks. She noted that growing her own produce has allowed her to skip buying many of the market items that have jumped in price over recent months, taking significant pressure off her monthly budget.

    The movement toward local, small-scale food production is also spreading to educational institutions, where schools are integrating sustainable growing practices into their curricula to build long-term food literacy. At Sadie Vernon High School, students operate an innovative aquaponics program that raises fish alongside vegetable crops, creating a closed-loop sustainable production system that doubles as a hands-on learning opportunity. The program introduces young people to practical, eco-friendly food growing techniques that they can bring home to their own families.

    Joselin Sanchez, a student participating in the program, says the project demonstrates how accessible, circular growing systems can offer a tangible solution to the country’s rising food cost crisis. “This system shows we don’t have to rely only on expensive store-bought food — we can grow our own in a way that wastes nothing and feeds our communities,” Sanchez said.

    Program educators add that the initiative also works to reframe agriculture as a valuable life skill, rather than just an industry, highlighting how small-scale growing can deliver shared benefits for entire local communities. This full report will air tonight on News 5 Live at 6 p.m.

  • Church Senator Joins Calls to Pull Down “Sexualising” Alcohol Ad in Belmopan

    Church Senator Joins Calls to Pull Down “Sexualising” Alcohol Ad in Belmopan

    In the capital city of Belize, a single outdoor alcohol advertisement has ignited a fiery nationwide debate over public morality, gender representation, and the normalization of harmful content in shared public spaces. At the center of the growing outcry is Senator Louis Wade Jr., a church-affiliated lawmaker who also operates one of Belize’s only alcohol rehabilitation facilities, who has become the most high-profile voice demanding the immediate removal of the controversial billboard positioned at Belmopan’s main city entrance.

    The advertisement in question features Trinidadian musician Nailah Blackman in what critics describe as a sexually suggestive pose, while holding a product from an alcohol brand that has drawn repeated criticism for its marketing tactics. Wade has echoed the growing frustration of thousands of Belizean residents who argue the billboard violates widely held community standards of public decency, framing the display as more than just a marketing misstep — as a dangerous amplification of preexisting social crises gripping the small Caribbean nation.

    Speaking to Plus TV News, the media outlet owned by Wade himself, the senator laid out his sharp condemnation: “I want to join my voice along with thousands of other Belizeans in Belmopan and around the country that say that this billboard needs to be removed because it violates the sensibilities of respectable Belizeans.” He pushed back against claims that the controversy over the ad is a distraction from more urgent national issues, arguing that residents of the capital have consistently prioritized advocacy for public values that affect daily community life.

    Wade went further, linking the billboard’s content to three of Belize’s most pressing social challenges: high rates of sexual abuse, pervasive domestic violence, and widespread problematic alcohol consumption. He called out the brand behind the ad for a pattern of problematic marketing, noting that the company has long targeted women with aggressive alcohol promotion, incorporated marijuana-themed imagery into its product packaging, and now relies on overtly sexualized depictions of women to drive sales. “This is the sexualisation of women,” Wade stated. “This is literally taking advantage of the weakness within the population in a very undignified manner.”

    His position as the operator of an alcohol treatment center gives him unique standing to speak on the harms of irresponsible alcohol marketing, he argued: “I sit here running one of the country’s only alcohol rehabs. So if we can’t speak against alcohol, then who can?”

    The debate has split public opinion, with some residents dismissing the controversy as an overreaction to a standard commercial advertisement, while others have labeled the display harmful, disrespectful, and completely unsuitable for public viewing. The uproar has also pushed broader questions about Belize’s regulatory framework for public advertising, and what content the nation chooses to normalize in shared public spaces that all community members, including children, access daily.

  • NOTICE: Works At Fadi Building Supplies To Fresh And Eazy Supermarket

    NOTICE: Works At Fadi Building Supplies To Fresh And Eazy Supermarket

    Motorists and local residents in Antigua and Barbuda are being put on formal advance notice of upcoming major infrastructure upgrades that will disrupt travel along a key stretch of All Saints Road (ASR). The works, which will run between the FADI Building Supplies and Fresh and Eazy Supermarket locations on the route, are scheduled to kick off at 7:00 pm on Wednesday, 6 May 2026, and wrap up by 7:00 am the next morning, according to an official advisory released by the country’s Ministry of Works.

    To manage traffic flow during the construction period, a formal detour route has been put in place for both inbound and outbound commuters. Drivers traveling out of town will be required to make a left turn at the Hazelroy’s junction on All Saints Road, before following the marked path laid out on official project maps. For those heading into town, the detour calls for a right turn at the Fresh and Eazy Supermarket intersection, with all directional guidance also reflected on the official project mapping.

    Project organizers have put several support measures in place to minimize confusion and safety risks during the overnight works. Trained flag persons will be stationed at key points along the detour to direct vehicle movement, while clear permanent and temporary signage has been placed throughout the route to guide drivers in both travel directions. It is important to note that specific segments of the detour have been designated as temporary one-way zones, a restriction that is clearly marked on all official maps and on-site signage.

    Local residents who live in the immediate vicinity of the construction zone will still be granted access to their properties, though officials are urging all people in the area to proceed with extreme caution. The work site will host active heavy-duty construction equipment, creating potential hazards for anyone moving through the area near the works. Crucially, all commercial businesses located along the affected stretch of road will remain fully open to customers throughout the construction period, meaning no disruption to retail operations is expected.

    This infrastructure upgrade forms part of the broader All Saints Road Project, a government-led initiative overseen by the Government of Antigua and Barbuda aimed at improving the long-term condition and capacity of this key arterial route. Project stakeholders and everyday commuters are strongly encouraged to adjust their upcoming travel plans in advance to account for potential delays associated with the detour and construction activity.

    Any members of the public with questions or concerns about the upcoming works and detour arrangements can reach out for more information directly to the Project Implementation Management Unit by phone at 562-9173 during regular operating hours.

  • Overheid trekt SRD 250 miljoen uit voor woningbouwprogramma

    Overheid trekt SRD 250 miljoen uit voor woningbouwprogramma

    Suriname’s national government has launched an ambitious, multi-year affordable housing development initiative, earmarking 250 million Surinamese dollars (SRD) to address the country’s persistent housing shortage while supporting local construction industry growth. The program, which prioritizes accessible housing options for low- and middle-income households, was outlined in detail during a recent meeting attended by government representatives, local contractors, and architecture professionals, where attendees aligned on the first steps to move the plan into implementation.