Aguas Claras is located in the biodiverse region of Southwest Panama and Global Brigades began working with community members in 2020. Community members have access to credit through an established and thriving community bank which will support continued investment in local businesses and home improvement projects for families within the community. People in Aguas Claras are primarily dedicated to skilled labour and the sale of artisanal crafts. Through Global Brigades an environmental committee was established to cultivate a model farm and a Community Health Worker was trained to provide healthcare support and ongoing trainings for community members.
Corregimiento: Penonome
District: Cocle
The community of Aguas Claras currently doesn’t have a health facility. When the community member needs to see a doctor or dentist, they must travel to “La Pintada”, the nearest town which is 19 KM away from their community and, has a full health facility where doctors and occasionally dentists are on staff.
Brigade Volunteers
Medical Patient Consultations
Health Education Workshops
GB Panama’s Medical Dental team started the Agentes Comunitarios en Salud or ACeS program in 2016. “Agentes” from 10 communities in Eastern Panama and Darien were Panama’s first community health workers.
Currently, in Aguas Claras, the Community Health Workers program is still in the planning phase and will begin as soon as feasible.
Community Health Workers in training: 1
| Chapter | Date | # Of Volunteers | Chapter | Date | # Of Volunteers |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| University of Georgia Medical | January 2022 | 14 | |||
In working closely with the medical program, the dental program provides fillings, extractions, and fluoride treatments as a standard part of medical brigades. Most community members do not have regular access to dental care due to the lack of dentist within a reasonable distance.
Community members in Aguas Claras lack access to financial resources within the community. The majority of community members do not have bank accounts and there are only limited informal forms of credit available. Larger financial institutions do not approve loans to community members without a fixed income, making it difficult for local micro-enterprises to grow and thrive.
Most community members cite the distance to the nearest bank as the main discouragement to having a personal savings account. Even if individuals wish to travel the distance, not all community members can become members of these financial institutions–cooperatives require monthly membership fees, savings accounts often require a fixed income, and the cost of travel provides an additional barrier.
Loans Disbursed
The Global Brigades Business and Microfinance Team are currently training a new Community Bank in Aguas Claras. They are also planning to bring Microfinance and Business brigades in order to strengthen both the knowledge and trust in the Community Bank.
This will encourage the opening of more savings accounts, and the growth of seed capital. Since the Community Bank was established in 2020 and completed six months of executive board training, the Community Bank began giving out loans to bank members to spur economic growth and home improvement projects.
Many community members in Aguas Claras lack the resources needed to improve their homes and prevent diseases caused by unsafe living conditions. The majority of homes are made of cement and wood, and very few homes have hygiene stations, cement floors, and eco-stoves.
