Our Impact in Belize
"The work I am doing with Global Aid in Belize has really opened my eyes to the importance of education and health in developing countries. I am surprised on how big of an impact an organization can make on a global scale."
Brooke Ramos - Global Aid Consultants Media Relations in Belize
Success in Belize by Brooke Ramos
Global Aid Consultants, a San Antonio-based non-profit organization, donated 100 new classroom desks to the St. Matthew’s Government School, located in St. Matthews, a village outside of Belmopan, Belize.
“We are happy that we could play a part in allowing more children to attend St. Matthews Government school,” said Todd Speer, Co-Founder and CEO of Global Aid Consultants. “Helping children learn will allow them to make better decisions and give back to their communities in the years ahead.”
Global Aid Consultants bought the school desks locally to drive business into the local economy.
The donation was arranged to work in partnership with the United States Southern Command, who recently completed the construction of three brand new classrooms which began in March as part of the Beyond the Horizon (BTH) 2017 initiative.
The keys to the new classroom building were handed over to St. Matthew’s Government School principal, Michelle Murray Gordon, Tuesday at the ribbon-cutting ceremony. The ceremony included guest speakers from the Belize Ministry of Education, the U.S. Embassy, BTH, St. Matthews Village and the St. Matthews Government School.
The ribbon-cutting ceremony held Tuesday at St. Matthew’s Government School included special guests from the U.S. Embassy in Belize, Belize Ministry of Education, Beyond the Horizon, Council members from St. Matthew’s Village, and staff and students from St. Matthew’s Government School.
“The classroom building is much more than a structure, it is the future.” said Adrienne Galanek, Charge d’Affaires at the U.S. Embassy.
The new classrooms were designed to facilitate the growing number of students, which has grown by ten percent since 2015. “We have always been scrambling to find space and furniture,” explained Michelle Murray Gordon, principal of the St. Matthew’s Government School.
The newly provided classroom desks were built locally, an effort by Global Aid Consultants to drive money back into the local economy.
“It would definitely be a financial struggle to find the funds for that amount of furniture,” said Gordon.
Prior to receiving the new classroom desks, St. Matthew’s Government School had to ask their sister school for 60 second-hand desks, along with asking parents for assistance in the refurbishing of broken desks.
Michelle Murray Gordon is the principal of St. Matthew’s Government School in the village of St. Matthews, located outside of Belmopan, Belize.
The parents, teachers, students and council members of the St. Matthews Village and St. Matthew’s Government School are committed to maintaining the newly furnished classrooms.
“The furniture is very important,” explained Patrick Faber, the Deputy Prime Minister and the Mister of Education in Belize. “ That is a struggle we have here in Belize in many of our classrooms. The donation by Global Aid in this particular school is very, very important and will go a long way in making this new facility go to the best use for the community and students.”
Each of the new classrooms holds enough furniture now to accommodate 33 to 35 students. Global Aid Consultants plan to visit St. Matthew’s Government School in 2018 to survey the conditions of the desks.
Students of St. Matthew’s Government School stand outside of their classroom for a photo.