Round the World with Us

QUICK FACTS:

Location: Cayo, Belize

Project Type: education

People Served: 400

Project Cost: US $5,000

Timeline: June 2011

Community Contribution: Community members will contribute the labor to build a new roof on the school.  They will also organize and maintain the new library.

Project Description:

Children at the Davidson Day School in North Carolina will conduct a book drive for a school in the Village of Succutz, Belize.  RTW with Us will pay to ship the books to Belize and to make improvements to the school – including a new roof.  The tin roof they have now leaks so much that they cannot have books in their school, and it is so loud when it rains that they cannot teach.  We are partnering with American Foreign Academic Research (AFAR) on this project.  AFAR’s mission is to provide unparalleled, hands-on scientific programs for high school aged students.

AFAR brings students to Belize to take part in archaeological excavations.  Last year, elementary school teacher Priscilla Saunders led AFAR participants in a service project with the school in Belize.  She started by sharing books that her students in America had created.  Then she and some of the AFAR students helped the children in Belize identify parts of their town and culture that are important to them.  Pricilla will work with her students this year to publish this information into a book that she will bring to the children in Belize.

” I knew that the students didn’t have many books or supplies, but when I visited I realized just how deprived of educational materials they were. At that point I knew I had to come up with a plan to provide them better tools for learning,” says Priscilla.  She will coordinate the book drive and will help the school set up their library.