The children of Wesley Methodist Upper School need a roof over their heads. When it rains it pours on the heads of the more than 200 students and fourteen teachers who are in the school building at 44 Dolphin Street, Mesopotamia Area in Belize City Belize. Please, the Optimist Club 501 Belize is pleading to all Belizeans and friends of Belize, at home and abroad, to open your hearts and please donate generously to assist in the repairs to the roof of this school building. In keeping with the Optimist Creed, when the school bell rings tomorrow - that is, in the new school year of 2022, the Optimist Club 501 Belize will invite the children of Standards IV, V, and VI to experience education in a more optimistic environment.

The school building is concrete and is 27 years old. It has 12 rooms and accommodates 9 classes – three Std. IVs, three Std. Vs and three Std. VIs; a Reading Room, a Computer Lab, and an extra classroom that is used as a storage room. There are fourteen (14) teachers, including the principal, who is Mrs. Nicole Middleton with a possible population of 265 students. Currently there are 205 students, ages ranging from 10 to 14 years, which represents eighty-eight (88) girls and one hundred and seventeen (117) boys. The roof is in dire need of repairs. The roof leaks in every classroom. The slightest drizzle will cause a disruption of classes since students and teachers must shift chairs and tables to avoid getting wet. They must also place containers (buckets and pans) to catch the dripping water. During heavy rains, students and teachers must consistently empty the containers to avoid flooding in the room. The ceiling, cased with “beaver board” is severely damaged from water that leaks from the roof. It is stained and molded and there are even hanging pieces that are loose from the beams which are infested with termites (wood lice). Evidence of termites displays itself on the walls and on the beaver boards.

Without a doubt there is a health and safety issue. Not being qualified enough to speak with any authority, but intelligent enough to recognize that: if there is mold then there is a health risk; a leak in the roof will cause rot, and rotten wood infested with termites can soon break and result in serious fatal injuries to students and teachers

Did you know that the registration fee for each child attending primary school in Belize is $180.00 BZE annually, or $15.00 monthly? That is what I paid to attend high school in Belize; I paid no registration fee to attend primary school. Minimum wage in Belize is $3.31 BZE per hour. Belize has a high rate of poverty. While 42 percent of the general population is affected, up to 50 percent of Belizean children under age 15 are classified as poor - 58 percent of Belize’s youth under 18 is classified as multidimensionally poor. UNICEF and ECLAC estimates that 6 out of 10 children in Belize lack at least one of these basic needs: adequate nutrition, clean drinking water, proper sanitation, adequate housing, and access to education and information.

We humbly appeal for your kind donation to do the repairs to this building.

Optimist Club 501 Belize and the management of the Belize Methodist Mission is appealing for your kind contribution to this cause. A cost of repairs obtained in April of 2021 estimated $60,000 BZE. You can contribute to this cause in one of various ways:

 

Mailing Address: Optimist Club 501 Belize PO Box 443 Belize City, Belize Central America

Bernard Panton Jr. , President Nacia Carillo Vice President, Ray Gongora Vice President, Darlene Gentle Secretary/Treasurer, Miriam Paz Administrative Assistant.