Tell me more......
How can I support The Iguana Squad? And what are the financial needs?
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Having a physical presence in Belize and being a true part of the village of San Jose Succotz is very beneficial to the accomplishment of mission opportunities, to the US teams, and to our Belizean neighbors. We need monthly ongoing support for these needs:
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Having four buildings currently (Phase One), with several more in the wings, is expensive. The water, electricity, internet, insurance, food, and construction costs rival those in the U.S.
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To maintain security, prepare for teams, and maintain four acres requires a caretaker couple and a groundskeeper. There are salaries and wages, and like in the U.S., Social Security taxes to be paid.
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A vehicle is necessary, so monthly insurance, fuel, and upkeep are mandatory. Insurance and fuel costs are more expensive in Belize than in the U.S.
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Every month, The Iguana Squad spends a minimum of $3600 US to keep everything running. Those costs will increase once more buildings are built on the site.
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These figures do not include the construction of the housing buildings nor the insurance, as La Paz Belize, LLC, pays for those fees. The cost of the vehicle is not included in monthly expenses.
Capital contributions are currently needed to meet these expenses of Phase Two of development
One of the cornerstone pieces of The Iguana Squad has been to provide medical, dental, and vision care for residents in need of those services. In the past, churches were curtained off into exam “rooms”. The goal is to be able to provide both medical professionals and patients a proper, private area for exams.
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A generous donor family has provided $50,000 US to put towards construction of the clinic. However, it has been discovered that construction in Belize is more expensive than anticipated, so more will be needed in order to proceed with this very crucial building on the La Paz site.
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The Iguana Squad’s goal is to staff the clinic every quarter for free health care with professionals from US teams and Belizean medical professionals who are interested.
The caretaker family is currently residing in a one-room bunkhouse on the La Paz site.
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This removes the possibility of four or five team members being able to stay on-site, thus reducing our capacity for team size from 20, down to 16.
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There has already been a two-bedroom caretaker house designed and quoted for the cost of $70,000 US. The contract for construction for that home will be released as soon as funds become available. The permit to build is in hand.