Monday, May 11, 2020 – The Ministry of Health reached out to the Lord Ashcroft COVID-19 Relief Fund, soon after the committee was established, seeking assistance to procure much needed supplies to support the fight against the current COVID-19 pandemic. The committee immediately responded and after discussions with representatives from the Ministry of Health, committed to support the financing of critical medical supplies and protective equipment. To date the Fund has expended $1,296,415.00 towards the acquisition of the following items:

• 15,000 Personal Protective Equipment (PPE) Units
• 5,000 Medical Goggles
• 5,000 Medical Shield Masks
• 1 Polymerase Chain Reaction (PCR) System
• 2 Housing Units
• 14 Ventilators.

Today, Mr. Lyndon Guiseppi, Chairman of the Lord Ashcroft COVID-19 Relief Fund and Mrs. Denise Godfrey, Senior Marketing Officer, Belize Bank Limited, met with Ms. Ana Bennett, Accountant General, Treasury Department of Belize, to hand over a cheque for payment of the ventilators which recently arrived into the country. The personal protective equipment (PPE), medical goggles and shield masks are also expected to arrive into the country in the coming weeks.

The donation of these items is a part of the Lord Ashcroft COVID-19 Relief Fund’s commitment to support the ongoing efforts of the Ministry of Health, the country and the people of Belize to ensure that we stay prepared for any impact from COVID-19.

The committee continues to liaise with the Ministry of Health on an ongoing basis towards providing further assistance for supplies and equipment.

Tuesday, April 21st, 2020 – When the Nurses Association of Belize reached out to the Lord Ashcroft COVID-19 Relief Fund for assistance on April 8, 2020, the Committee immediately responded by contacting the association’s President, Mr. Darrell Spencer.

After several rounds of discussions with the association and representatives of the Ministry of Health and Finance surrounding the specific request of the nurses, the Committee agreed to provide funding for the acquisition and furnishing of three new housing units which will be located in the areas of Dangriga and Punta Gorda. In addition to the structures themselves, the Lord Ashcroft COVID-19 Relief Fund agreed to provide additional assistance to fund furnishings for these quarters including beds, work desks, refrigerators, oxygen regulators and a number of other supply equipment. The total value of the support given by the Lord Ashcroft COVID-19 Relief Fund to the Nurses Association to date has been $170,000.

Today, Mr. Lyndon Guiseppi, Chairman of the Lord Ashcroft COVID-19 Relief Fund and Mrs. Celia Swan, Marketing Representative of the Belize Bank Limited, met with Mr. Darrell Spencer, President of the Nurses Association of Belize to hand over a cheque to assist with the ongoing relief effort. Mr. Spencer expressed his organization’s profound gratitude to Lord Ashcroft for his generosity during this difficult and challenging period.

Thursday, April 16th, 2020 – The Belize Red Cross Association today received a donation of $500,000.00 from the Lord Ashcroft COVID-19 Relief Fund. The donation was provided to assist with the Association’s mission to prevent and alleviate the suffering of the families most in need during this pandemic. Efforts have commenced to purchase food items and coordinate the distribution to the most affected communities throughout the country of Belize.

This donation was made in the memory of Lord Ashcroft’s mother, Rene Ashcroft who in September 1955 went to Corozal as a part of the Belize Red Cross volunteers to assist in the devastation caused by Hurricane Janet which made landfall as a category 5 hurricane.

The need for Belize Red Cross volunteers is constant and continues to increase as they navigate this crisis. The Association calls on Belizeans who are willing to volunteer during this time to contact them as we are all in this together.

Friday, April 9th, 2020 – The Belize Police Department received a donation from the Lord Ashcroft COVID-19 Relief Fund today. The donation was provided to assist Police Officers with much needed personal protective equipment as they continue to work on the frontline and serve our country during the current state of emergency.

We applaud the efforts of the Belize Police Department for their dedication as we continue to fight the spread of this pandemic.

Since it’s inception in 2012, the Belize Bank Ltd. has granted scholarship opportunities to over 100 students countrywide. To highlight the aspirations of our scholarship recipients, an Esteemed Scholarship Recipients Album was compiled.

We continue to encourage each recipient, both past and present, to continue to achieve and advance their educational and career goals.

Members of Belize’s uniformed law enforcement agencies will compete for the 5th consecutive year in a special 120-mile relay footrace in the United States.  The race begins in Baker, California and ends in Las Vegas, Nevada.  
Belize earned a first-place finish in 2019, amongst 291 world-class teams.

This year, the Belize Bank Limited is a proud sponsor of “The Belize Protectors”, which comprises of 25 men from the Belize Defence Force, the Belize Police Department and the Belize Coast Guard.  The team will wear number 1 and the event will take place on April 4th and 5th.

In our continued effort for youth development in sports, The Belize Bank Ltd. was a proud sponsor of this year’s Table Tennis U15 – U18 Central American Championships. Over 100 players, from 6 countries including Belize, participated in this five day event (February 4th-8th).

Each participant’s speed, agility and concentration skills were put the test.

The Belize Bank Ltd is an avid supporter of education, sports and youth development. Youth development comes in many forms and music is one of them. Music not only boosts self-confidence but also enhances intellectual ability and provides freedom of expression.

In supporting musical opportunities, the Bank made a generous contribution to one of Belize’s prestigious universities -the University of Belize.  The university will obtain steel pans so that interested students will have the opportunity to develop their musical talent in playing this well-known Caribbean instrument.

The Belize Bank Ltd. takes pride in contributing to this great initiative and look forward to working along with The University of Belize to see the success of this program.

In an effort to encourage women in sports, The Belize Bank Ltd. opened its doors to aid in the sponsorship of a senior female softball team which evolved into Belize Bank Bulldogs Softball Team in 2012.

Team members range in ages from 17 years  to 45 years and have displayed great sportsmanship as they have won The Charles Solis Memorial Tournament in 2013, 2014 and 2016 , and rose in glory in winning the National Female Softball Championship Tournament in 2014, 2015,2016 and 2019.   In 2015 The Belize Bank Bulldogs Softball team proudly represented the country of Belize at The Central American Female Club Championship in Managua, Nicaragua where they placed second.