Bob Brumbaugh is the CEO and owner of Belize Birds, a 1000 acre area of jungle in Belize where he offers "jungle tourism". This led Bob to becoming a one person development agency for the coastal towns near the site.
 
Bob feels these towns are essentially identical to Hawaii years ago. Gorgeous coastal vistas, warm but not hot weather, with friendly locals living in a mostly undeveloped natural wonderland. It is one of the best places you an go to as a tourist today. He has learned a lot from the local people, including that scorpions make great pets, as long as you remember to remove their stingers first. 
 
The local government provides free education up to age 14. There is no public high school, hence little opportunity to attend college and join the modern economy for most in Belize. They cannot afford the $450 per year cost. Bob started changing that for the kids in his area. In 2008 he offered three scholarships for high school attendance. He also provides books and computers. Since then he built a library and stocked it with books, and continued to grow the number of scholarships offered to 27 as he found funding support, often through Rotary clubs.
 
What has amazed Bob is the result, remembering these kids literally come from grass shack homes where essentially no English is spoken. Two have been valedictorians and all graduate. "The thirst to learn is amazing. The kids will sit in the library and read every book they can lay their hands on", Bob noted. "They read to family members so everyone is getting a better education". 
 
The impact of the scholarships has been community wide. When he started the local elementary school had 123 students attending. Attendance was considered optional by many families because there was no path to useful results for the students. If the kids were needed to work on the family boat or crops they missed days. Many dropped out before graduating. Since Bob started offering the scholarships, attendance has rocketed up. There are now 176 students, so many they had to build another classroom. Birth rates didn't go up, the possibility of education leading to a future changed everything. Student attend regularly and they finish school hoping to earn a scholarship. 
 
Bob added medical supplies to his investment in the community. He has shipped containers of medical supplies occasionally. He was delighted to learn about Project Cure.