A Belize based non-profit organization with a mission to strengthen and connect indigenous Garifuna communities by providing empowerment and support towards projects that conserve cultural and spiritual traditions.

Established on
May 15th 2012,
the Wagiya Foundation serves as a coordinating body that focuses
on Garifuna cultural rejuvenation and sustainable community development.

What We Do

Working with Garifuna settlement community based organizations, Wagiya identifies appropriate grants, applies for funding and allocates resources for selected projects. The projects fall under the following Program Categories:

  • Environmental & Natural Resource Conservation

  • International Development & Trade

  • Economic Security, Self-Sufficiency & Work

  • Education, Training & Knowledge Transfer

Wagiya provides oversight of the funds and projects ensuring accountability and successful completion.  We also provide a central point to assist in project management and to capture knowledge enabling the sharing of lessons learned and best practices. These tasks help facilitate our ability to duplicate successful projects throughout the Garifuna settlements and diaspora.

Featured Project

Using agribusiness to foster regional cooperation, global trade, and investment for the benefit of the Garifuna Nation. We enable Garifuna land owners and producers to compete in high value, organic products, and export markets.

 

Wachari Organic Agricultural Association

  • Established on February 21st, 2017, WOAA is a new organization formed by Wagiya Foundation

  • Organizing the farmers to build food security, create employment, and regenerate land and culture  

  • Enable Garifuna farmers to compete in high value, organic products, and export markets

Previous Projects

  • The Wagiya Foundation donated 125 coconut trees to the village of Barranco, Belize, to support their effort in restoring the eroding beachfront caused by oil exploration and rising tides. The village needs funds to purchase truckloads of sand to save their beach and prevent land developers from taking over. They are seeking $50,000 to restore the beachfront, fill roads, rebuild parks, fix roads into the forest-farms, and resume planting. Donations will also help the community re-enter the tourism industry and maintain their sustainable lifestyle.

  • In June of 2013 The Wagiya Foundation donated 24 (sweet water) coconut trees and two breadfruit trees to the Gulisi Community Primary School Dangriga. The donation was given in support of the school's expanding agricultural program that will soon include sustainable farming and edible gardening. This unique primary school includes Garifuna language, culture, and history in their teaching curriculum. The trees were proudly planted by students of the first graduating class.

  • The Wagiya Foundation awards scholarships annually to high school-bound students of Garifuna heritage who have demonstrated academic achievement, financial need, and an interest in preserving their culture. The scholarships are paid directly to the attending school and are contingent on the student maintaining a B+ grade-point average or higher. Eligible students must be graduating primary school, reside in a Garifuna community, and intend to pursue higher education.

  • Andy Palacio was a prominent Garifuna musician, government official, and advocate who was recognized with numerous awards for his work. He passed away in 2008 and is buried in Barranco Village in Belize. The Andy Palacio Music Festival is an annual event that celebrates his legacy and raises funds for maintaining his gravesite, completing the Andy Palacio Conservatory of Music, and making donations to the Andy Palacio estate. The festival features live performances by Garifuna musicians and food vendors from Barranco Village, boosting the local economy.

  • The Garifuna people believe in using natural remedies for sickness and disease. The Wagiya Foundation has established a teaching garden in Punta Gorda, Belize, featuring 172 medicinal plants used by Garifuna ancestors. The garden is open to the public through tourism, with tours and products for sale. To operate the garden, the foundation raised funds to provide scholarships for two licensed tour guides at a cost of $600 each. The garden serves as a teaching forum for visitors interested in learning about healing plants in southern Belize.

  • Seine Bight Rising is a project by the Wagiya Foundation to help the Garifuna community of Seine Bight in Belize to identify cultural tourism ideas with sustainable revenue streams. The project involves beautifying the village by cleaning the seaside, painting 300 houses with high-quality weather-resistant paint, landscaping the grounds with tire planting beds, and planting 300 sweet water coconut trees in tire planters to prevent erosion and provide revenue streams. The project requires funds to purchase paint, estimated at $150 per 5-gallon bucket, to paint all 300 houses. The first Seine Bight Market Day is scheduled for May 14th, 2016.