Nuevo Paraiso

  • Overview
  • Medical
  • Dental
  • Business

Overview

Nuevo Paraiso is located in biodiverse Panama and celebrated its transition with Global Brigades in April of 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 Nuevo Paraiso are primarily dedicated to agriculture and the sale of artisanal crafts. The community is on the wait-list for eventual Holistic Model implementation as part of Global Brigades’ strategic plan in Panama.

Corregimiento: Darien
District: Santa Fe

Homes : 70
Population : 300
Water System : No
Community Bank : Yes
Electricity : Yes
Health Center : Yes
Community Health Workers : Yes
% of Homes with Latrines : 93
Education in the Community : Up to 6th grade
Distance from Lodging Facility (km) : 18 km

Medical

Program Status

  • Planning
  • Active
  • Complete

Global Brigades is working on the implementation of the Holistic Model in Nuevo Paraiso and has begun with the implementation of the Medical Program through the training of one CHW. The next step will start as soon as feasible with the mobile clinics.

Distance from Nearest Health Center : 4 kms
Community Health Workers : Yes
Common Illnesses in Children : Diarrhea, Respiratory Infection
Common Illnesses in Adults : Hypertension, Diabetes

COMMUNITY HEALTH WORKERS:

GB Panama’s Medical Dental team started the Agentes Comunitarios en Salud or ACeS program in 2016. Nuevo Paraiso has one Community Health Worker who will end her training soon.

Some of X’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 Nuevo Paraiso but has not yet begun with the Dental Brigades program.  Now in the planning phase, mobile clinics will start as soon as feasible.

Distance to Nearest Health Center : 4 kms
Community Health Workers : Yes
Common Illnesses in Children : Diarrhea, Respiratory Infection
Common Illnesses in Adults : Hypertension, Diabetes

Business

Program Status

  • Planning
  • Active
  • Complete

NUEVO PARAISO’S ECONOMIC CHALLENGE

Community members in Nuevo Paraiso 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.

NUEVO PARAISO’S MICROFINANCE SOLUTION

The Global Brigades Business and Microfinance Team trained a new Community Bank in Nuevo Paraiso in March 2021. This encouraged the opening of more savings accounts, growth of seed capital, and upon the completion of six months of executive board training, the Community Bank began giving out loans to bank members to spur economic growth and home improvement projects.

Local Businesses : Convenient store, refreshment stand, agriculture producers
Economic Activities : agriculture
Community Bank : Yes

Local Reference Points

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

  • Feature

The Largest Movement for Global Health and Holistic Development

“Global Brigades” refers to one or more Global Brigades entities, each of which is a separate and independent legal entity; “Global Brigades, Inc.,” “Global Brigades Health and Development,” “Global Brigades UK,” “GBO Ghana,” “Asociacion Global Brigadas de Honduras,” and “Fundacion Brigadas Globales de Panama”. Global Brigades Health and Development (“Global Brigades Canada”) is a federally registered Canadian charity independent from Global Brigades Inc.

Guidestar 2021