Cerro Cruz

  • Overview
  • Medical
  • Dental
  • Engineering
  • Water
  • Business
  • Public Health

Overview

Cerro Cruz is located in the Province of Comarca Ngabe-Bugle and Global Brigades began working with community members in April 2021. 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 Cerro Cruz are primarily dedicated to agriculture, artisan labour, animal raising, and trading and when Global Brigades visited the community, their members expressed that the top three needs were: improving the road condition, improving the water system, and public health services. Global Brigades is currently working with Business brigades in Cerro Cruz and the community is on the wait list for eventual Holistic Model implementation as part of Global Brigades’ strategic plan in Panama.

Corregimiento: Ngabe-Bugle
District: Müna

Homes : 128
Population : 430
Water System : Yes
Community Bank : Active Implementation
Electricity : No
Health Center : No
Community Health Workers : Not Started
% of Homes with Latrines : 47%
Education in the Community : Up to primery school
Distance from Lodging Facility (km) : 100 KM

Medical

Program Status

  • Planning
  • Active
  • Complete

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

COMMUNITY HEALTH WORKERS:

A group of CHWs from East Panama, trained in 2019

Cerro Cruz is currently trying to train Community Health Workers in the community to provide medical aid to community members. Community Health Workers, or Agentes Comunitarios en Salud (ACeS), work on a volunteer basis as advocates for healthcare within their communities.

Their primary responsibilities include: educating community members to prevent common illnesses, providing emergency first aid, supporting pregnant mothers and newborns, and following up with chronic patients. The presence of these volunteers and their advocacy for health within their community contributes to the sustainability of healthcare supported by Global Brigades’ Medical Program and is one of the most impactful disease prevention strategies in rural communities.

Community Health Workers : Not Started
Distance from Nearest Health Center : 4 KM
Common Illnesses in Children : Common colds, diarrhea
Common Illnesses in Adults : High blood pressure, common cold, diarrhea

Dental

Program Status

  • Planning
  • Active
  • Complete

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

Engineering

Program Status

  • Planning
  • Active
  • Complete

Global Brigades is working on the implementation of the Holistic Model in Cerro Cruz but has not yet begun with the Engineering Brigades program. Now in the planning phase, the surveying, improvement or construction of a water system will start as soon as feasible.

Water System : Yes
Type of Water System : Gravity Aqueduct
% of Homes with Access to water : 31%
Water Council : Yes

Water

Program Status

  • Planning
  • Active
  • Complete

Global Brigades is working on the implementation of the Holistic Model in Cerro Cruz but has not yet begun with the Water Brigades program. Now in the planning phase, the surveying, improvement or construction of a water system will start as soon as feasible.

Water System : Yes
Type of Water System : Gravity Aqueduct
% of Homes with Access to Water : 31%

Business

Program Status

  • Planning
  • Active
  • Complete

CERRO CRUZ’S ECONOMIC CHALLENGE

Community members in Cerro Cruz typically lack access to financial resources locally. The majority of them don’t 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 have to travel to the nearest city to be able to open a bank account. Even if individuals wish to travel the distance, not all community members can become members of these financial institutions since the bank requires a fixed income to do so.

21

Volunteers

63

Loans Disbursed

CERRO CRUZ’S MICROFINANCE SOLUTION

The Business Program works to stimulate the local economy by organizing community volunteers around a community bank, or Caja rural, which is entirely owned and operated by its members. The Business Program provides training and support to help strengthen these community banks. In order to pool their limited funds together, increase the capital available to the community bank, and expand the impact of its financial services, each member contributes a capitalization fee for which they receive a proportional amount of the bank’s dividends at the end of its fiscal year.

Upon the completion of six months of executive board training, the community bank begins giving out loans to bank members to spur economic growth and home improvement projects. Cerro Cruz‘s community bank was established in 2021 with the support of Global Brigades. 

CERRO CRUZ’S BUSINESS SOLUTION

Building off of a strong relationship developed in partnership with Global Brigades as a Holistic Community, Cerro Cruz looks to receive financial training and business consulting to expand and improve its local microenterprises.

As members of the Community Bank, Cerro Cruz’s micro-enterprises, contribute to savings accounts and budget for loans to expand their businesses in the future. Through the help of Business Brigades, clients get advice on their most concerning business challenges and can also receive assistance in developing sustainable agriculture practices since many local businesses are based on cultivating produce and raising animals.

BUSINESS VOLUNTEERS IN CERRO CRUZ:

Chapter Date # Of Volunteers Chapter Date # Of Volunteers
Biola University February 2022 12 Farmingdale State College February 2022 14

Public Health

Program Status

  • Planning
  • Active
  • Complete

Global Brigades is working on the implementation of the Holistic Model in Cerro Cruz 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 homes with latrines : 47%
% of homes with eco stoves : 0%
% of homes with water filters : 0%
Common house materials : Mud and Zinc

Local Reference Points

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

  • Feature