H-SC Students Aid Construction in Belize
by: Mohsin Fazlani ‘11Over the course of a week, students help build maternity ward in Belizean town
On January 3, 2010, some of Hampden-Sydney’s finest students and staff made a five-hour plane ride to Belize City, Belize. For some of them, this was their first experience in Central America, but for others this was just another opportunity to bask in the culture and traditions of a foreign country. This trip began with a flight from Lynchburg Airport to Atlanta and from there to Belize City, which is located on the coast of Belize. Upon their arrival, they were met by Mr. Charlie Joe and Dr. Ben Mathes, founder of Rivers of the World, a global volunteer organization. Then the group took a four-hour bus ride to the small town of Punta Gorda, where they were assigned the task of helping to finish the maternity ward in the Punta Gorda Hospital.
On Monday, bright and early, the group rolled up their sleeves and began to break cinder blocks in order to use the loose pieces to fill the holes in the concrete blocks that were already made. They also set up some plastic around the work site in order to keep the tools and other materials clean. The next day, the group began work by helping to rebar the ward and began building the framework that would eventually lead to the second floor. On Wednesday morning, the group finished the stairs project and began making the cement that would be used to construct the concrete stairway. The group started to pour the cement mix into the mixer along with sand and water, and soon they had cement ready to pour. The group organized into an assembly line Henry Ford would have been proud of and had cement moving efficiently from the mixer to the place it was to be poured. The group also had to put metal ties around rebarb and ended up putting over 4,000 ties around the structural joints.
The following day began at 7 AM and involved the group using a very sturdy scaffolding made from local material to put cement on the second floor. By the time the group was done, they had used over 100 tons of cement in helping to complete the maternity ward.
That Friday, the group took an hour and half journey to the town of Crique Sarco. There the group members handed out school supplies such as pens, pencils, books, and clothes. Also, some of the staff members were handing out medical supplies such as ibuprofen and anti-diuretics. All together, the group donated about $400 in medical supplies and $2500 in clothes and school supplies.
All of the students got to interact with the town’s citizens and really had a great time talking to them.
Reflecting upon his trip to Belize, Jordan Harless ‘11, said, “Every day we complain about the hot water or the repetition of Commons, but when in a community of those less fortunate to think about such petty thoughts is beyond selfish.” Junior Marshall McClung agreed: “the trip was indescribable, and makes us appreciate all that we have.” The next day, the group left from Punta Gorda and made the four-hour van ride back to Belize City where they stayed the night till their flight the next morning. The group arrived safely back into Lynchburg Airport on Sunday, January 10, 2009.
Andrew Joyner ‘11 said, “This trip gave me an opportunity to get out of my comfort zone and experience something that I would not have done on my own.”
The work that this group did for the hospital’s maternity ward will have a positive long-term impact in the community. Despite a long flight, long bus ride, early morning wakeups during winter break and hard physical labor, the group from Hampden-Sydney excelled in their outreach project in Belize. These men represented Hampden-Sydney College well on a global stage. It is trips like this one that give the world a closer look at the heart and soul of Hampden-Sydney College, a glimpse into the character on which our community is built, and a view into the personal responsibility that each and every one of us has to our fellow human being at this institution.
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