A Bit o' Belize . . .

Decided on the trip NOT to try to fit everything about the country into one or two blog posts. It just wasn't going to work. So, welcome to A Bit o' Belize. I'll do a series, occasionally, on an observation or such from the trip.

Bit #1: Belize is a developing country. There are about 60 Peace Corps Volunteers in the country right now, all working on projects to help the country out. Alli's two main projects (most PCVs have one or two projects; Alli's got, um, a billion) are an apprenticeship program and developing a program about corals, sea grasses and mangroves for the local schools.

School in Belize is expensive. It's compulsory for children, as it is in the U.S., but parents must pay extra for education as well. Considering that minimum wage is Belize $2.25 an hour (about US $1.12), any expense for compulsory education is difficult for parents.

Consider also that there are no school buses. If the parents are so lucky as to be able to send their child to the school nearest their house and they can afford the school, they may not have to spend money on bus fare. If not, the child has to catch one of the buses of the Belizean (Bel-e-zuhn) bus system. The child only has to pay 1/2 price (Alli, correct me if I'm wrong) for the fare, but with most bus fares being BZ $2 or BZ $3 per trip (depending upon the destination) sending a child to school becomes a very expensive proposition.

Further, children are required to wear school uniforms and every school has a different uniform. I am assuming, although I do not know for sure, that parents also have to purchase the uniforms. The further expense certainly adds to the challenge of surviving in Belize and perhaps explains some of the poverty of the country.

More later . . .