Project Belize

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Impact

Why Belize?

  • 50% of Belize’s 300,000 population are under 20

    There is less than 60% enrollment in secondary school (middle school/high school) mainly due to financial barriers.

  • Only 35% of 5,000 teachers are qualified

    Less than 35% of Belizean teachers have formal training – teachers at a minimum must have graduated from primary school.

  • $2,200 is the median family income in Belize

    The 2010 Poverty Assessment shows that more than 4 out of 10 people in Belize live in poverty. The median annual income is $2,200 and secondary tuition alone costs on average $500 in addition to uniforms and school supplies.

  • $500 High school tuition

  • $500 High school uniform and books

  • $750 College tuition

  • $500 College books

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Financial literacy camps

Day camps are held at various schools in Belize City, with more than 3,000 children attending since 2008. PwC partners, principals, staff and interns, as well as retired partners, teach interactive lessons.

The program includes breaks for activity time outside, including educational games on Project H learning landscape playgrounds.

  • 2,520 School supplies (lbs) in 2008

  • 8,542 School supplies (lbs) in 2009

  • 3,968 School supplies (lbs) in 2010

  • 7,021 School supplies (lbs) in 2011

  • 2,694 School supplies (lbs) in 2012

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Scholarship program

This program provides scholarships to students who have demonstrated excellence in the classroom and in extracurricular activities but don’t have the financial means necessary to continue their education at the secondary level. During the on-site program, PwC participants spend three intensive days with the students, focusing on financial literacy, entrepreneurship, career preparation and leadership.

  • More than 600 scholarships have been awarded since 2008

  • $200,000 Nearly $200,000 has been contributed to fund secondary education

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Teacher and principal training

Project Belize is about making a lasting impact. This may be most clear in our work with scores of teachers and principals. Teachers receive a fully developed and customizable financial literacy curriculum, enhanced by the opportunity to refine their teaching and technology skills. Principals work side-by-side with PwC staff to learn about finance, bring new concepts to life and find best practices. Along the way, PwC leaders share insights on personal goal setting, making a difference, and leading others.

  • 30 Teachers in teacher training 2011

  • 55 Teachers in teacher training 2012

  • 30 Principals in principal training 2012

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Project H: educational playgrounds

In alignment with PwC’s commitment to environmental sustainability and our belief in learning through play, educational playgrounds are built by PwC participants at select schools. Repurposed materials, such as bus tires, are used to create a learning space through which hundreds of educational games can be taught while children enjoy time outside. The work is tiring but the reward is well worth it. Our Project H teams arrive in Belize not sure what to expect but leave having created a learning tool for the school children to enjoy for many years ahead.

  • 6 Sustainable playgrounds built in 2011

  • 6 Sustainable playgrounds built in 2012

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Leadership skills for PwC participants

Leadership is a defining theme of Project Belize. It extends well beyond the children and educators who commit to making a difference and helping others. The opportunity to impact the educational landscape of Belize is also an opportunity to develop PwC leaders. Project Belize puts our people in an environment far from their everyday lives. It calls upon the best of their agility, creativity, and collaboration to make a difference in a very short time. Where’s the evidence? Project Belize alumni say it is one of their most valued experiences at PwC.

  • 140 PwC participants in 2008

  • 100s of virtual PwC participants in 2009

  • 100s of virtual PwC participants in 2010

  • 200 PwC participants in 2011

  • 400 PwC participants in 2012

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Enhanced education and job resources for the citizens of Belize

Financial literacy is the foundation of economic development and the growth element in dynamic social change. Building on this foundation of financial literacy, PwC professionals and interns further enhance education and employment opportunities by accompanying the youth of Belize through serious social challenges, serving as mentors, providing teacher education, offering need-based scholarships, inspiring leadership, and fostering a base for job creation and entrepreneurship. These are the keys to a thriving Belize.

  • 4 Schools in 2008

  • 10 Schools in 2011

  • 28 Schools in 2012

  • 800 Students in 2008

  • 797 Students in 2011

  • 1,500 Students in 2012

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Since 2008, PwC has sent partners, principals, staff, and interns to teach financial literacy in Belize. Project Belize is part of an innovative program designed to solve social and economic challenges in developing countries by integrating financial literacy and entrepreneurship into the public school curriculum.

Since its inception, we have contributed 15 tons of school supplies, awarded more than 600 high school equivalent scholarships so these students can continue their education, and delivered our financial literacy curriculum to more than 3,000 students with the help of over 760 talented and enthusiastic PwC interns, partners, and staff.