is a project I have taken on to provide Thelma with a pre-fabricated house. On a recent trip to Belize I met Thelma, a single mother and her three children who live in a wooden house in the rural village of Caledonia, Belize. Her house is made of sticks and is essentially a 1 room shack. When you look around the village, you see a lot of families that need housing-she is not the exception but the rule in rural Belize. But like anything, need is a relative thing. Which one do you help first and why should you?
Here's 6 REASONS why together, we should help fund Thelma's House!

1. Life just isn't as good as it is for you and me.
For all our real problems- yes they are developed countries problems- we are not struggling with a leaky roof, insufficient plumbing, feeding our children on a substandard wage-almost 40 per cent of all children aged 17 and younger live in poverty, and the proportion is even higher among Maya children.
But more importantly, think about the emotional toll it takes to live day to day in those circumstances. Sure, we all go through rough patches, but throw in the fact that your house has multiple holes in the roof, you have no power, no running water, would you be able to get up in the morning with a happy face?

2. Why Thelma and Why Belize?
Belize is not the poorest country in the world-it ranks no. 76 in who is the poorest of the poor. People all over the world need housing, education and like Thelma, need our attention. But doing something somewhere that is manageable, is better than doing nothing. Besides, if through your generosity, we surpass our goal I can help another family fix their home, hopefully getting a two for one deal!

3. Lying on the Beach in Belize doesn't tell you much about poverty.
Most people’s experience of the global poor is the waiter at their table or the pool attendant, the ones lucky enough to have jobs . We still don’t know as much as we should about poverty and we try to ignore poor people at home and abroad. It's better to look at the ocean than the person serving you. Dig deeper and you will feel compelled to take action.

4. As Bob Geldolf, kind of said-Just give them the f'ing money!
I have taken it out of context, but basically I am paraphrasing him. There are a thousands reason why not to give. There are more needy causes, charity begins at home, you are being taken advantage of. The list goes on. The bottom line is, it is all true, but as long as the money goes where it should go, is it such a terrible thing?

5. We need cheap labour! Not!
Economies rely on cheapness. That T-shirt you bought may create a job that pays subsistence wages, but doesn't fuel economic growth or grow the local economy. That waiter who served your drink still can not feed his family or afford a flush toilet.

6. It just feels GOOD!