The U.S. Southern Command (SOUTHCOM) Humanitarian Assistance Program is ensuring Belizean children in select rural communities are equipped with must-have back-to- school items so they are successfully poised to return to the classroom in the upcoming academic year. On June 15th, U.S. Embassy officials delivered 500 backpacks filled with school supplies to students at the Carmelita and Santa Martha Government Schools in the Orange Walk District. 
The Head of the U.S. Embassy Security Cooperation Office Major Jason Booth underscored, “The U.S. Government – and U.S. SOUTHCOM in particular – has a long history of supporting friends and partners in this hemisphere, from providing training and equipment for disaster mitigation and preparedness, to health-related and infrastructure projects, and basic education support. This latest donation from the American people will help ease the financial burden of the back-to-school season and will support the educational needs of students in these villages.”
In this year alone, through its efforts to provide essential human services to vulnerable populations, the USSOUTHCOM Humanitarian Assistance Program has funded free medical clinics, donated medical supplies and ventilators, and secured the construction of school buildings and a fire station in Belize.
