This article just came to my attention. It makes Belize sound pretty bad, and is certainly not good for tourism.

http://www.nhl.com:80/ice/news.htm?id=393455

I assume that this must be on the mainland, because I saw lots of big screen TVs shining through the windows at night while strolling on the streets of San Pedro, and I was never asked for money except by street vendors. Is there poverty on Ambergris Caye?

have you not seen poverty on Ambergris Caye??
I guess I am sucker I get asked for money, food, my shoes....
Mary

Thats not necessarily "poverty".

Every major city in Canada and the USA has panhandlers and people living in the streets. I didn't see any of that in SP. Maybe it's more on the backstreets. Now the dogs running wild, that's another story.

The dogs aren't poor either

I find a strange condescending attitude in Americans.
I've been away 23 years and its changed my opinion of them.
Belizeans are not living in poverty. All major populations have an element of people that could be a poster person for sorrow and pity.
even New Jersey.
Advocates press for anti-poverty initiatives for New Jersey poor
by South Jersey News Online
Thursday December 06, 2007, 12:20 AM

By ANGELA DELLI SANTI
Associated Press Writer

TRENTON, N.J. (AP) -- Though the challenges of alleviating poverty in costly New Jersey are many, and money is tight, advocates for the poor, homeless and disabled hope to push lawmakers to direct limited state funds to programs that do the most good.

The advocates, known collectively as the Anti-Poverty Network of New Jersey, paint a grim picture of low-income families fighting to stay solvent in a state where affordable housing is scarce, health insurance is hard to come by, and minimum-wage workers seldom break out of their low-wage rut.

In Cayo, where my parents live, they laugh at things we may think of as "necessities." My mom was showing a Mayan neighbor an automatic rice cooker and the lady laughed and said "you Americans take the fun and love out of everything."

Their needs/wants differ from what others are used to. Some don't have running water, and most of those who don't, really don't WANT running water. They do laundry in the river and a family member pours a bucket over them for a shower or they bathe in the river.

We took a Mayan teenager over to San Pedro w/ us years ago to keep my son company and for the most part, especially the plane ride and the shower, seemed to bewilder him and it kind of made us feel foolish and spoiled. We felt it would be neat to show him the ocean and for him to ride on a plane, but really we threw him way out of his element.

The definition of "poverty" or inversely "wealth" is not stated in dollars!

When my daughter first visited SP, she was upset by what she considered poverty. After a week on the island, she was amazed at how relaxed, and happy most people were. She got the opportunity to speak with a lot of people, and she was humbled by their answers to the poverty questions. Most agreed that their lifestyle may not be what we have in the US, but they had food for their families, a roof over their heads, and a job to go to. They didn't have the hassles of "keeping up with the Joneses", the car payments, or the huge mortgages. The freedom to enjoy life at it's best was the best lesson she could have learned from her visit. It isn't necessary to have stuff to have a good life. She often remembers "it isn't getting what you want, it's wanting what you have" and we could ALL learn a lot from that.

I agree that simple living is best and really enjoy the festive nature of this community (always a celebration going on - the enthusiasm makes up for the limited funds)!

My concern is for the children that may not have the opportunity for education. They are often on the street and not in school (with poor nutrition playing a part, it is often difficult to tell ages, but some appear to be 6 -10 yrs old. These kids are having fun playing and enjoying freedom and their beautiful great environment. It just breaks my heart to see these clearly bright young people have their future limited by lack of exposure to education.