Building for Retirement in Belize - Don't Do it Unless...

After decades of being an educator, Ms. Swift retired. What's next? Three years ago, while on vacation in Belize, she had a discussion with a few mothers about the education system in Belize. These parents were concerned that there were two systems of education in the country: one for students in the city and one for students in the village. They believed that their children in the village were being cheated out of a quality education.

Ms. Swift grew up in the village and when she went to high school in the city, she was just as qualified as the city girls. Nevertheless, based on what she heard, Ms. Swift decided to do something about it. She would build an 'enrichment center' and provide the resources necessary for the village students to compete and even excel higher than the city students.

Ms. Swift hired local workers from nearby villages to begin construction of the school. However, the current residence needed repairs. So she hired a contractor. This book chronicles the pitfalls of trying to build in Belize while you live thousands of miles away. The contracting business is not regulated which leads to ripoffs and over-payments. Ms. Swift soon realized that 'she was up the creek without a paddle.'