Orphanage and Belizean Culture

Volunteer Post: Sarah

I can’t believe how quickly time has been flying and that I have already been in Belize for over a month! It has been such a great experience and I’ve thoroughly loved getting to know Belize, my team members and the local community members. I’ve traveled to a lot of different countries the past few years but I think Belize is the most unique country I’ve been to. It's interesting how European colonizing countries from around 300 years ago still have so much influence on countries even today. Even just taking the bus to get to the orphanage in the capital city, Belmopan, there is a crazy variety of people and languages for such a small country. You've got the Mennonites with their beards, their suspenders and their wide brimmed hats; then the Rastas with their long dreads and colorful accents; then people of Mayan descent laden with their goods to sale and a bunch of little kids that stare back at you with bright dark eyes; and then just everyone from in between the races. It’s fun people watching with everyone crammed into an old style school bus carrying kids, groceries, umbrellas, balloons, and sometimes piñatas.

 I usually do this bus route once a week to the King’s Children Home mostly just to play with the kids and give the little ones one-on-one attention just to be held and cuddled. It’s really neat how the directors of the orphanage emphasize that it is not an institution but a home and a place for the kids to feel at home. Orphanages are like their own little society with leaders and homemade family units that look out for each other. I love seeing their interactions with each other. A few big kids look out for the little ones by doing their hair, feeding them and bossing around the bullies. I think it would be really interesting to track the lives of orphans and see how they all end up and if they stay in their homemade families. Talking to one of the directors at the orphanage, Mike, he told us that they raise good kids. Kids that go to universities and kids that give back to the community through their own service. I feel a bit sad every time I leave and it's hard to leave the little ones crying at the gate waving to us, but I'm glad they watch out for each other and let me into their world just for a few hours.

Advantages and Disadvantages of Livin' it up in Belize!

Volunteer Post: Laura


Living abroad brings with it some advantages and disadvantages. Hefting 40 lb. jugs of water from the store to your house in the blazing heat? Disadvantage. Having the police lend you their four wheeler and letting you pile four people on it and ride with reckless abandon? Advantage.


This week our whole team was able to help the Police Department of San Ignacio clean out an old police station in Georgeville (a town close to Santa Elena). They converted the old substation to a safe space for kids to study and hang out after school. They had already painted things on the wall to make it more fun and less policey. 

The station hadn't been used in a while and the floor was pretty dirty. We started sweeping up and realized that we just needed to do a deep scrub.

Now, in Belize (and other Latin American countries) the technique for mopping floors isn't with a bucket like we're used to in the US. They flood the floors using the spigot in the house and then scrub the floors with a broom and sweep the water and dirty (and bugs) out the doors. 

In our cleaning we found a tarantula, a few cockroaches, and all sorts of nasty in one of the bathrooms. We had a good time cleaning and getting the center ready for the grand opening later that afternoon. We also couldn't resist locking Kristina, one of our country directors, in a holding cell while she cleaned it out. Don't worry, we let her out after a while. 

By the time we left, the center was all ready to open, with a sparkly clean floor to boot. Our other projects continue in earnest and we're excited for our town movie night this Thursday. (Just our way of celebrating Independence Day.)