Mano Amiga BZ is a community outreach group providing educational and other vital assistance to subsistence farming families of the Waterhole Area in Western Belize. MANO AMIGA BZ HELPS FARM FAMILIES IN RURAL BELIZE (formerly waterhole neighborhood scholarships)
Much is being accomplished by generous people from all over the world
~TUITION SCHOLARSHIPS and SCHOOL SUPPLIES
More than twenty Belizean farm kids receive full tuition scholarships from kindergarten through high school. A percentage of school supply costs is also provided.
~ONGOING EDUCATION for HIGH SCHOOL GRADS
For the first time children from our district are graduating from high school and going on to vocation school to enable them to earn a living wage.
~LIGHTING RURAL HOMESTEADS
Solar panels and 12v LED lights light up rural homes so kids have light to do school homework.
~FULLY EQUIPPED STUDENT CENTER
The Mano Amiga Student Center provides local Belizean students with access to wifi, desks, laptops, and printer for online classes and homework. Since 2020 the student center has received a small monthly grant by an American philanthropist to continue helping children get an education.
~ACCESS TO WIFI AND ELECTRICITY FOR CHARGING PHONES AND ACCESSING THE INTERNET
At the Student Center students and their parents are welcome to charge appliances and access the internet.
~GYM SHOES FOR HIGH SCHOOL STUDENTS
Mano Amiga Belize solicits and delivers dozens of gently used gym-shoes for high school students to wear in gym class – students can’t attend gym class in street shoes.
~CANNING WORKSHOPS:
Ongoing canning workshops teach canning fundamentals to help families preserve mangos, tomatoes, pineapples and other fruits against lean months.
~FEEDING HUNGRY FAMILIES WHEN COVID FIRST STRUCK
From February to November, 2020, through the first months of the Covid-19 pandemic, Mano Amiga Belize delivered groceries to hungry farming families. Two hundred and sixty-four 45-pound bags of food staples helped thirty-five families avoid hunger and in some cases, starvation until crops matured and new jobs appeared. This effort was spearheaded by Marco Martinez Jr.
~OTHER GOOD WORKS:
+Three sheep of breeding age and mattresses for an aging couple who fell on hard times deep in the rainforest.
+Roofing material and cement to build a small cabin for an elderly grandfather with no means of support.
+A coffee bean sheller bought with Mano Amiga funds helps a local farmer prepare his coffee crop for market.
~ALL OF THESE THINGS NEED FUNDING
Mano Amiga BZ needs your help to make things like this continue to happen. Ann McGregor provides advice and website assistance. 100% of donated money goes to fund these projects. No donated funds are used to pay for labor, administrative costs, gas or vehicle expenses. Mano Amiga means “helping hand” in Spanish
