HFH BELIZE CONTACT INFO

Mailing Address:
HFH Belize
PO Box 2482
Belize City
BELIZE

Telephone / Fax Number:
501-227-6818

E-mail:
habelize@btl.net 

Country Description

Belize is a small country of 8,867 square miles. It is bordered on the north by Mexico, the west and south by Guatemala and the east by the Caribbean Sea. The country has a population of 240,000 of which approximately 70,000 are located in its largest city, Belize City. Belize City is located on the central Caribbean coast and is the major center for commerce and trade. The nation's capital, Belmopan, is located 50 miles inland from Belize City. Belmopan has a population of approximately 9,000. Other cities of significant size include Orange Walk Town, San Ignacio and Punta Gorda. Belize claims over 200 cayes, many of which are uninhabited. The ethnic mix of Belize consists of Creole, Mestizo, Maya, Garifuna, Eastern Indian, Chinese and European. Belize has a sub-tropical climate with an annual rainfall varying from 51 inches in the north to 175 inches in the south. Belize's geography is diverse; pine forests, jungles, rainforests, swamps, savannas and coral reefs. The land is home to a wide variety of flora such as palms, ceiba, cacao, banana, cashew, pineapple, passion fruit and orchids. As with most sub-tropical climates, the fauna is diverse and consists of wide variety of birds, seven species of felines, such as the jaguar, two species of monkeys, snakes, lizards and an innumerable quantity of colorful fish, corals and sea mammals.

Belize is a developing country with a very small domestic tax base. Gross Domestic Product for 1999 was US$673.5 million with an annual per capita income at approximately US$5,010.  Approximately 50% of working age adults are employed and 12.8% are unemployed and want work.  75% of the population is age 34 and under.  Similar to other Caribbean countries, consumer goods and services in Belize are expensive, as there is very little industry or manufacturing. Belize is the only English-speaking country in Central America, and as a result, it has closer ties with its Caribbean neighbors than with Latin America. Some trade has developed with Guatemala and Mexico, but the vast majority of imports are from the United States. Economy is based on trade in sugar, bananas, tourism and fishing.

Need for Housing

Belize City has a great number of old, rundown wooden houses, which are infested with termites and wood lice. Many of these houses are situated on shaky wooden posts. On the outskirts of the city, there are numerous shacks erected by squatters. The terrain in Belize City, along with most of the coastline, is swamp. All of Belize City has been built on fill, which poses economical and technical challenges to building decent houses at affordable prices. Belize City has an adequate infrastructure in place in most areas of the city to supply potable water, electricity and storm drainage. Approximately 50% of the buildings use septic tanks with leach systems that drain to the already saturated soil.

In the inland and rural areas, there are a number of villages with inadequate housing and supporting infrastructure. There is a large population of immigrants from the surrounding Central American countries living on the outskirts of these towns in temporary, substandardhousing. There is no hard data available on the actual number of houses needed to move people from substandard conditions, however the government has pledged to build 10,000 houses over a five-year period, which gives some indication of the need.

HFH and Belize

After inquiries and evaluations made between the Belize steering committee and Habitat for Humanity International, HFHI assigned two international partners to Belize in April of 1998 with the responsibility of developing the national and affiliate organizations. Habitat for Humanity Belize was incorporated in October 1998 as a non-profit organization and operates from Belize City. The National Organization currently has 15 members on its national board and a national staff, which consists of a national coordinator and an international partner. The responsibilities of the national coordinator are to develop affiliates in other regions of the country and to raise public awareness of and resources for Habitat for Humanity Belize. The affiliate board has 25 members and has an affiliate staff of the national partner, construction supervisor, and construction foreman.  Eight houses have been built since December 1999 with six houses currently under construction.

Habitat Houses in Belize

The houses constructed by the Belize City Affiliate consist of concrete spread footings with block stem walls. The concrete floors are steel troweled and the joints of the concrete block walls are tooled, thereby creating a better surface for painting. The roofing system is comprised of treated lumber roof rafters with pressed, aluminum roof sheeting. Interior finishes include pressboard ceilings, louvered glass windows, and wooden doors. The doors and windows have burglar bars (welded bar guards).

The typical models are 2-bedrooms with dimensions of 22 ft x 24 feet and 3-bedrooms with dimensions of 24 ft x 30 ft. The bathroom contains a shower, toilet and sink. The sanitary system is typically septic tank with soak-away (as opposed to a leach field). Potable water is plumbed into the kitchen sink, shower, toilet and bathroom sink. The electrical system provides lights and 110V outlets in each room.

Average construction cost of a 2-bedroom house is $22,000 ($11,000 USD)
Average construction cost of a 3-bedroom house is $30,000 ($15,000 USD)