Two Countries

As I was preparing to leave for Panama, almost everyone had two cents to contribute to my pre-knowledge of what it would be like. There is a canal, I know someone who went there for spring break, etc. I also tried to gather as much information as I could about the country that would be my new home. Nothing could prepare me for actually knowing Panama, however. When I graduated from college my motivation for becoming a volunteer was a desire to apply my education to the development of societies that need engineering skills for basic services that I have always taken for granted. A few times I was told about how strong the Panamanian economy was and how developed they already were. I’m sure this brought a certain level of comfort to people who care about me, but I couldn’t help but feel like my role was discredited. As a training group we were told some statistics that are not pleasing to hear, but legitimize my work as an environmental health development worker in Panama. Yes, it is true that while flying into Panama City I saw a sprawling metropolis where the latest Trump tower was constructed, but just a few hours driving outside the city 1.4 million people live in rural communities. Panama is two countries. The native population of Panama (i.e. not ethnically mixed with early colonizers) is organized onto comacas where they live traditionally. The comarca that is home to the Ngabe and Bublè groups is one of the largest. Peace Corps has a large presence in this area. Here is a breakdown of some environmental health statistics of this comarca (This is not the original source, but it contains similar statistics. For those of you interested, check out the UN Millennium Development Goals, too).

• 92% live in extreme poverty (less than $1 a day)
• 65% mortality rate for children under 5 years old
• 33% lack access to clean drinking water

These numbers only energize me. The knowledge I have and what I am gaining in training about sustainable development work gives me hope that one day these communities will have the capacity to determine and resolve their own problems having been empowered by me and other environmental health workers.