NICH Secures UNESCO Grant

The National Institute of Culture and History (NICH), a statutory board under the Ministry of Education, Culture, Science and Technology, is pleased to announce that Belize has been awarded a US $98,600 grant by UNESCO’s Intergovernmental Committee for the Safeguarding of the Intangible Cultural Heritage. This grant will support the implementation of the project “Empowering Communities for the Safeguarding of Belize’s Foodways: A Community-Based Inventory Project for Sustainable Development and Disaster Resilience.” 

The initiative will provide training for 140 community members and cultural officers, equipping them with the skills needed to document, inventory, and safeguard Belize’s living heritage, with a particular focus on the diverse and vibrant cuisines of the nation’s cultural groups. In addition, the project aims to ensure that our students and general population eat more local and healthier food.  

To be carried out over two years by the Institute for Social and Cultural Research of NICH (NICH-ISCR), the project will feature national and district-level workshops, during which participants will create a comprehensive inventory of cultural food practices. This effort will help ensure that Belize’s culinary traditions are documented, celebrated, and safeguarded for future generations. 

NICH extends its gratitude to all Belizeans who support the ongoing work to implement the 2003 UNESCO Convention for the Safeguarding of Intangible Cultural Heritage.