Send a Child to School

We all have our own life story and it is totally different than anyone else's story.  Some stories are happy and full of success, other stories are sad and filled with tradgedy, others are amazing, still others are a mixture and a blend of many different colors.  This is a story of two brothers, a somewhat tragic story, yet one of brotherly love which prevails.  Now the story is far from over, however there is a promise for the future. 

Zion and Miguel are brothers who unfortunately were born into poverty.  Early in their lives their father left the home leaving their mother to try to provide for the boys and their other siblings.  Overwhelmed, the mother slipped away and the grandmother tried to take over the responsibility of the children.  A sad but ever present story in Belize and other Central American countries.  After a few years an aunt, seeing that the boys were still not attending school, stepped in to try to help the boys. Zion, now 9 going on 10 and Miguel, now 7 had never been in a classroom.

The aunt who lived in San Pedro brought the boys out to her island home. Still, the road was full of obstacles, schools in San Pedro were full to capacity, there was no room for the two brothers. As fate would have it, one day one of the towncoucil members heard of the boys and their dilemma. Having previously been involved with Ambergris Caye Elementary School (ACES) she knew there might be space.  Not knowing how the tuition would be paid she acted on faith and brought the boys to the school.

After some discussion with the administration of the school, she agreed to place the older boy, Zion, at the school and try to raise the funding through the community.  The younger boy, Miguel, would have to wait until funding was arranged, heartbreaking, however no sponsors were available. So, it went for a few days, Zion got settled into his new school.  He got his books and his uniforms and was the model student.  He was older than his peers in the classroom he was placed in, but he was determined to learn to read and write, he knew he could do it.

Now, this all happened the very hectic first week of school. About a week to ten days later, the Infant I teacher (Kindergarten) came to the office and started to ask questions about the new student.  Both I, being the administrator, and the principal looked at one another.  "What new student in Infant I?"  "Yes, Leonardo." "We have no Leonardo", was our reply.  The teacher insisted, "Yes, he has his uniforms, I need to get him his books."

Upon further investigation we found that Leonardo was in fact Miguel!  Zion,out of love for his brother had shared his uniforms so his brother could come to school. When we asked the boys about the situation, Zion explained, "He wanted to come to school with me, so a shared my shirts with him." How could we deny this little boy, so we kept him. Up till today, Leonardo/Miguel, has no sponsor.  He is here by the Grace of God, paid for by his brother's "brotherly love".  

There are more "Leonardos" out there, your donation could help send one more "Miguel" to school.  Today, both boys are thriving, reading and excelling in their classes. The future looks promising for both boys now that they are getting an education. Their desire to learn and their appreciation for the opportunity is still amazing to this day.  Each time I relate this story it still brings "goose bumps" and a lump to my throat.  There is nothing more rewarding in life than to help a child succeed.

Ambergris Caye Elementary School, ACES, believes every child has a basic human right to an education. However, as a private non-profit school which receives no government funding we depend on a small tuition and donations to operate our facility.  We now house approximately 115 students, of those enrolled students, 26 students depend on donations to pay for their education with a waiting list of students which grows daily.

Children are the future of our world and young minds need guidance and nurturing to reach their fullest potential.  In this small island community of San Pedro there are still many children who still are not able to find space in government schools. Each year ACES tries to accomodate more children who cannot find space in other schools, yet this means the cost of providing education to these children continues to escalate.

During this holiday season of giving we are hoping to be able to defray this ever rising operating cost. Only through the help of others, like yourself, can we resolve this ever present deficit. We encourage you to be generous and send a child to school.  What better gift could you give to an underprivledged child than an education!