It’s difficult to grasp the effect of the
The plots of land in the town were given away/sold by the Belizean government in order to gain political votes. The area was supposed to have roads, landfill and access to water and electricity. When the new land owners arrived, they found swamp land that was covered in trash. Given no other affordable options, there are hundreds of people living there.
The residents of
The swampland of
When Francis and Vern Wilson started building their school, the government wanted them to build south of San Pedro. There are already 3 schools down there and the
It still amazes me how much this school has accomplished in so little time with so little resources. The school doesn’t turn anybody away. It costs $10-20 per semester for students to attend depending on the number of children a family has. There is a fee for uniforms, but only if families can afford it. They have a feeding program that gives the students a high-protein breakfast, a fruit snack, and a full lunch. The final cost is $1 per student per day. This amounts to almost $500 per day in food alone. The school doesn’t charge for food, but does ask for donations from the parents. Those who can afford it give about $10 a month. Over the summer, the school did a study looking at incoming students’ heights and weights. All of the students were in the lower 30% of their age group. About 60% were under the 23rd percentile. Malnutrition is a huge problem for the students at the school. In many cases, the food that the school provides is the only food these children get. In order to help fight vitamin deficiencies, the students get chewable vitamins tablets every morning. The school is the only one in the country that has a dental clinic. All the students receive free dental care thanks to volunteers. It is also only 1 of 7 schools in the country to accommodate children with special needs.
The Belizean government claims to support and require primary education (through 7th grade) for all of its citizens. After reading the fine print, it becomes apparent that the government only pays the teachers’ salaries. They do not fund administrative staff, school supplies or buildings. Schools like
The progress and accomplishments of Francis and Vern is absolutely amazing. Not only are they feeding and educating hundreds of children everyday, but they are helping to build a strong community in