Why Give to OA?

Ocean Academy opened as the first and only high school on Caye Caulker in 2008. Our motto is “Preserving our Heritage, Creating our Future” and our mission is Universal Education. Across Belize approximately 50% of high-school age youth are in school. Prior to our opening, approximately 35% of students continued past primary school. Since our opening, more than 90% enroll in school. Our students, most of whom are the first in their families to attend high-school, are achieving national and international success.  Ocean Academy and our students have earned fourteen district, national, and international awards chosen/sponsored by UNICEF/Beyond Sport, the U.S. State Department/Belmopan Embassy, Price Waterhouse Cooper, Sagicor Visionaries, Ministry of Education Department of Youth Services, Adobe Youth Voices, and the National Assembly of Belize.

Fifty-seven percent of our budget comes from the government. Another 22% comes from school fees and social enterprise. The remainder is raised through grassroots fundraising.

Your donation goes directly to funding teachers’ salaries, turning on lights, providing water, and maintaining the campus.

Ocean Academy is a non-profit organization, managed by a Board of Governors with all assets owned by Ocean Academy Trust Ltd. Friends of Ocean Academy (FOOA) is a 501c3 in the United States led by FOOA President and Founder, Monty Curry (Senior Vice President of BancFirst, Tulsa, Oklahoma). Donations made by U.S. citizens are tax-deductible (and donations made through Global Giving are tax deductible in the UK). FOOA also manages donations received from anywhere in the world. Learn more about FOOA on their website.