BELIZE CONT.......2

Access to food, housing, health care, and other necessary or goods and services vary greatly between rural and urban areas, as well as by socioeconomic status. The most serious health threats in Belize have long been Malaria and Enteritis. Enteritis is an inflammation of the small intestine. These medical problems are very serious and treatment is not always available. Rural areas are especially lacking in availability of medical treatment. One major set back in heath care in the area is lack of qualified personnel. There has been a school for nursing and medical technicians, but no school of medicine. Many people who study abroad never return home. Most doctors and dentists in the area are from foreign countries. The overall health of Belizeans has improved over the past 25 years since it has been an independent nation. In 2005 life expectancy was seventy-two years (Unicef). The death rate was 4.7 per 1,000 in 2003(CSO). One factor in the quality of life, housing arrangements, vary throughout the country. In cities building are usually wood and provide for small families, there are issues with necessities such as sewer systems, many city households are not connected to the system. In rural area large families may live in small, family built dwelling with no water, sewage, or electricity. In the mid 1980’s average salary of an employee was Bz$6,000 or about US$3,000.

Education is very important to any areas economy and future. In Belize formal education is managed by joint partnership of church and state with one being more involved at times and visa versa. Primary education for children ages 5 to 14 is required. Secondary and postsecondary education is often restricted by socioeconomic factors. The demand for education outstripped the capacities of the churches to provide it. By the 1970s, the Belizean government had assumed the leading role in establishing new schools, especially at the secondary and tertiary levels; the government conceived of education as an essential tool in the peaceful struggle for independence. The expansion of educational opportunities outstripped the state's resources, leading to an intensified reliance on external aid mostly provided by the United States.