Today we had the honor of meeting some of the people that call Monkey River home. Monkey River is a village about 12 miles south of Placencia, on the geographical outskirts of Belize. After a 45-minute boat trip (the only way to get to Monkey River), we stepped out to the smiling faces of a group of the village’s children. We then toured their newly-constructed four-room school, complete with auditorium, kitchen, bathrooms, and living quarters for teachers. This school is a far cry from the one-room schoolhouse that was destroyed by Hurricane Iris in 2001; about 50 children used to go to school in that one room!

The new building is the culmination of efforts by many of Monkey River’s citizens. We've sent some pictures that show these new classrooms. Eleanor, the school’s manager, is leading efforts to bring electricity, jobs, additional funds and stability to the village. Monkey River was demoted from a township to a village in 1983 due to declining populations. Hopefully Eleanor’s efforts will result in a better livelihood for Monkey River’s citizens and will convince more of them to remain in Monkey River.

At the school, we were touched by the turnout of people who greeted us and filled the classrooms as we taught 10-minute lessons to the children. The children were divided by age, and as teachers, we rotated through the classrooms just as Belizean teachers do. We then said farewell to Monkey River (and of course did a whole group rendition of the Hokey Pokey). The rest of our day was spent touring downtown Placencia and preparing for our final night presentations.