The San Mateo Empowerment Project (SMEP) has been working to raise money to build roads in the San Mateo community on Ambergris Caye since 2009. San Mateo is a community of roughly 1,500 people and despite being a part of Belize’s largest tourist destination it exists without access to proper water, sewerage or electricity. Before these problems can be addressed, miles of unstable wooden bridges must be replaced with roadways that allow for vehicular access to the community.
The San Mateo Empowerment Project is an effort spearheaded by the University of Mississippi Service Learning Class of 2010 and works to provide roads for the residents of San Mateo in place of the “London Bridges” board walks that they use every day. The Ole Miss students created this video to help in their effort to raise funds and awareness of the issues facing San Mateo and the work that are carrying out in the community. They even got the help of well known-actor and activist Morgan Freeman, who is a strong supporter of charitable projects undertaken by Mississippi Institutions and residents. Morgan, who was born in Memphis, Tennessee spent most of his childhood in Mississippi and was more than happy to be a part of the effort and narrate the video made by the University Students.
You can view the video here:
You can find more information on the San Mateo Empowerment Project on their website at http://sanmateoempowerment.com/Â or by visiting their Facebook Page.
