Natural Healing Program in Belize

  Belize

San Ignacio

Dates: Each Month

Description: Natural Healing Program: Learn about the culture of a less developed country while remaining in a safe environment.

Introduction: Health and healing take many forms. The art and wisdom of using the natural resources of one's own environment along with an inner guidance derived from adhering to the universal laws is practiced among indigenous peoples throughout the world. This program takes place in the Central American Rainforest, just north of Belize's Maya Mountains, 10 miles from Guatemala, and 80 miles west of the Caribbean Sea.

Description: Explore the environment of the Belizean Rainforest, receiving an introduction to its healing resources. Visit the natural healers of the Rainforest. Listen to their wisdom and observe their ways. Study the role natural healing plays in the culture.

Objectives: Participants identify methods used by traditional healing practitioners of western Belize, observing how they mesh on the physical, mental, and spiritual levels. Students determine the role natural healing plays within the culture here and compare it to the role it plays in their own culture,identifying with the need to respect and preserve both natural resources and the wisdom of those who have spent a lifetime learning their healing properties.

Highlights: Orientation:
- Welcome to Cornerstone Foundation; participate in a one-day orientation to the program, facility, organization, and surrounding area.
- Identify specified community resources (Scavenger Hunt).

Experience:
* The basic properties of the tropical rainforest plants of Belize and how they compliment each other within their environment.
* The importance of harvesting with respect for natural resources, harvesting for specific uses, and harvesting under certain conditions in relation to healing (moon cycles, tradition, etc.)
* The preparation of widely used herbal home and kitchen remedies passed down through generations.
* The art of herbal preparations, including herbal baths, incense, salves, tinctures, etc.
* The union of the varying cultures of western Belize and the multiple histories of the Maya, Spanish, and Creole through their natural healing techniques.
* General Forest 'know how' using natural resources for First Aid (making stretchers and splints, treating snake bites, creating quick shelters, marking trails, etc.)
* The reverence of humility and respect for cultural differences and lifestyles, for the environment and its wonder,for those who have dedicated their lives to healing, and for the traditional methods of interpreting and understanding practices handed down orally over centuries.
* The art of observation and reflection with an open mind, a method of absorption.

Excursions:
- Canoe up the Macal River to visit Ixchel Farms, home of Dr. Rosita Arvigo's Rainforest Remedies Medicine Trail, and the Natural History and Blue Morpho Butterfly Center.
- Hike through the Rainforest to visit the ancient Maya sites of Xunantunich and Cahal Pech.
- Visit San Antonio Village in the Cayo District, home to famous bush doctor Don Elijio Panti and visit the Tanah Art Museum.
- Overnight hammock camping in the Rainforest with an expert bush guide.
- Meet with healers in their homes for a glimpse of their lives & ways.
- Travel with traditional healers to the bush to observe some of their methods and techniques.

Assignments:
- Write a four to five page (typed, double spaced) paper-identifying methods used by traditional healing practitioners of western Belize. Indicate how they mesh on the physical, mental, and spiritual levels.
- Write a four to five page (typed, double spaced) paper assessing the role natural healing plays within the culture here and comparing it to the role it plays in the intern's culture. Identify with the idea of respecting and preserving both natural resources and the wisdom of those who have spent a lifetime learning their healing properties.

Curriculum Conclusion:
- Assess experiences with Cornerstone Foundation and receive evaluation and certificate of achievement.

Application Process Involves:

• Online Application plus Application Assessment

Post Services Include:

• Exit Debriefing Abroad
• Alumni Network

The Cornerstone Foundation's Mission Statement: Cornerstone Foundation is a registered non-profit humanitarian service organization in Belize, Central America, established to inspire respect for self, culture, and the environment. Our goal is to help people to help themselves, and to help organizations and social service offices meet their goals within our community. We aim to be an active link in the gathering and distributing of information and resources. We strive to be involved in the empowerment of our community. We strive to support Government and other organizations in the development of our community.

Year Founded: 1999