Belize : "School In a Box"

The village of Buena Vista, in the District of Cayo, is one of the poorest villages in the Central American country of Belize. Buena Vista school is one of the most critically needy schools in the district, lacking many of the resources of the neighboring villages. The School was a safety hazard to the children and had no power and utilities until very recently. Fortunately for Buena Vista, organizations such as 4 the World exist to provide essential aid and support to the neediest areas of the world.

4 the World is a U.S.-based non-profit organization providing support to under-developed communities throughout the world, by empowering local people to collaborate, learn new skills, and improve their own communities. 4 The World provides assistance creating new or improved community infrastructure, building materials and construction, and program resources for education, healthcare and other localized training. 4 The World has been working in Belize for many years and identified Buena Vista as an area of great need.

In 2007, Green Solutions North America Inc. contacted 4 The World in order to see if there was an interest in any corporate office furniture and equipment in any of 4 The World’s global projects. Robert Froom, Executive Director of 4 The World, was very clear that such donations were needed, and enthusiastically accepted the offer of help.

With the help of Summerlee Office Solutions, a company based in Toronto, Green Solutions set about turning the dream into a reality.

On 30th April 2008 a ‘School in a Box’ set sail from Toronto on its way to Belize with enough equipment and school supplies to change the lives of the children of Buena Vista forever.

Like all Green Solutions ‘School in a Box’ projects, the container to Belize contained the bounty from a number of Corporations that have partnerships with Green Solutions. The role-call is impressive. Flynn Canada donated the container for the project. Royal Bank of Canada (one of Green Solutions’ first supporters and a model corporate citizen), Pratt and Whitney, Spectrum Health Care, Lexis Nexis, Allstate Insurance Company of Canada, and Cancer Care were among the major contributors to the venture. Without these organizations and their commitment to Corporate Social Responsibility, ventures such as this could never happen. Summerlee Office Solutions and its employees worked above and beyond the call of duty to ensure that a veritable treasure trove of “extras” such as back-packs, soccer balls and other school supplies were included in the shipment. Summerlee served as co-sponsor for the project and assisted Green Solutions at every step in the process.

Next month the shipment will arrive in Buena Vista and the children of the village will be granted a new outlook on life. Green Solutions is honored to have been a part of this project and to have the opportunity to work with individuals such as Robert Froom, who has dedicated his life to ensuring that that the children of some of the poorest areas of the world have the same kinds of opportunities that we in the Developed Countries take for granted.