Altos de Jesus

  • Overview
  • Medical
  • Dental
  • Business
  • Public Health

Overview

Altos de Jesus is located in the Comarca Ngabe-Bugle and celebrated its transition with Global Brigades in December 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 Altos de Jesus are primarily dedicated to agriculture and selling artisanal crafts. The community is on the wait-list for eventual Holistic Model implementation as part of Global Brigades’ strategic plan in Panama.

Corregimiento: Comarca Ngabe-Bugle
District: Nurum

Homes : 300
Population : 600
Water System : Not Started
Community Bank : Active Implementation
Electricity : Yes
Health Center : Yes (Health Post)
Community Health Workers : Active Implementation
% of Homes with Latrines : 100%
Education in the Community : Up to middle school
Distance from Lodging Facility (km) : 0 KM

Medical

Program Status

  • Planning
  • Active
  • Complete

Global Brigades is working on the implementation of the Holistic Model in Altos de Jesus but has not yet implemented Medical Brigades. Global Brigades is currently training CHW’s in the community to support patients in need of medical support.

COMMUNITY HEALTH WORKERS:

GB Panama’s Medical Dental team started the Agentes Comunitarios en Salud or ACeS program in 2016. “Agentes” from 10 communities in East Panama and Darien were Panama’s first community health workers. 1 CHW in Altos de Jesus is on track to complete the training and start visiting community members with health needs.

Some of the CHW’s primary responsibilities include:

  • Promoting healthy practices and maintaining contact with GB staff about their progress
  • Performing First Aid in the case of an emergency
  • Managing the Patient Referral cases of the community
  • Promoting involvement with other GB programs such as Human Rights, Public Health and Microfinance workshops
  • Recording and monitoring members of their respective communities who:
    • Are pregnant
    • Have a chronic disease
    • Are children under five
      years old.

Dental

Program Status

  • Planning
  • Active
  • Complete

Global Brigades is working on the implementation of the Holistic Model in Altos de Jesus but has not yet begun with the Dental Brigades program.  Now in the planning phase, mobile clinics will start as soon as feasible.

Business

Program Status

  • Planning
  • Active
  • Complete

ALTOS DE JESUS’ ECONOMIC CHALLENGE

Community members in Altos de Jesus 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. For example, a person could obtain ‘credit’ at a local store by buying something now and paying later, simply adding it to their ‘tab,’ but there would be no formalized credit transaction.  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.

38

Loans Disbursed

ALTOS DE JESUS’ MICROFINANCE SOLUTION

The Global Brigades Business and Microfinance Team trained a new Community Bank in Altos de Jesus in December 2020. The team is currently working on training the executive board in order to ensure the sustainability of the Caja and prepare them to apply for the different loans that will benefit the community.

Community bank : Yes- Caja Rural Altos de Jesus
Economic activities : Agriculture and artisanal crafts
Community bank members : 15

Public Health

Program Status

  • Planning
  • Active
  • Complete

Global Brigades is working on the implementation of the Holistic Model in Altos de Jesus but has not yet begun with the Public Health Brigades program. Now in the planning phase, the delivery and installation of household health products will start as soon as feasible.

% of houses with latrines : 100%
% of houses with eco stoves : 100%
% of houses with water filters : 0
Common house materials : Cement blocks/bricks

Local Reference Points

View the map to see the closest volunteer lodging facilities, hospitals, and other relevant points of reference.

  • Feature