GBB SDSU

8/6/2019 GBB SDSU

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8/6/2019 GBB SDSU


P.O.P.

CONTENT

REPUBLIC OF PANAMA — CULTURAL BACKGROUNDTRAVEL

Passport, Visas, Health Precautions

Insurance, Pack your Bags

Food and Accommodations, Upon your Arrival

RULES

TIPS AND RECOMMENDATIONS

GENERAL ITINERARY

COMMUNITY INVESTMENT FUND (CIF)

PROJECT INFORMATION

Project Profile

Important Information

Project Information

Images

PARTNER’S INFORMATION

CONTACT INFO

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8/6/2019 GBB SDSU


Official Name: Republic of Panama.

Capital: Panama City

Nationality: Panamanian

Population: 3,410,676 (2010 est.)

Land Area: 29,340 sq mi (75,991 sq

Km)

Age Distribution (%): 0-14 years

37.0%, 15-59 years 56.3%, 60+ years

6.7%

Literacy Rate: 90%

Weather: The weather is tropical,

and uniform throughout the year.

The average temperature is 27°C.

Panama is located in between Co-

lombia (W) and Costa Rica (E), bor-

dering the Caribbean Sea (N) and the

Pacific Ocean. (S)

Panama is a constitutional democra-

cy with an executive branch led by a

president who is elected to a 5-year

term, a unicameral legislature, and

judicial branch. The country is divi-

ded into 9 provinces and 4 territo-

ries called comarcas. Panama has a

rapidly developing economy butsuffers from a weak, non-

transparent judiciary. Outside the

Panama City area, which has many

first-class hotels and restaurants,

tourist facilities vary in quality. The

U.S. dollar is the paper currency of

Panama, and is also referred to as

the Panama Balboa. Panama mints

its own coinage.

GENERAL COUNTRY INFORMATION

vernment. Known for their tenacity and ingenuity, they enjoy one of the

greatest degrees of political autonomy of any indigenous group in Latin Ame-

rica.

There are 9 provinces and 7 indige-

nous communities (distributed in 4

comarcas)

Comarcas are “indigenous reserves”

where 7 indigenous groups in Pana-

ma reside. The 7 indigenous groups

are: Kuna, Ngöbe, Buglé, Emberá,

Wounaan, Bri Bri and Naso.

The comarca de Kuna Yala, better

known as “San Blas” by foreigners, is

home to the Kuna. They run the

islands of San Blas with minimal

interference from the national go-

POLITICAL DIVISION

P.O.P.

Panama’s National Flower: “Holly

Spirit Flower” (notice inside it

looks like it has a dove)

The “Pollera” is Panama’s

National Dress. The “Montuno” is

Panama’s National Males outfit.

Red Color stands for the blood of our

leaders who fought for the independ-

ence. The red star stands for the lib-

eral party. The blue color stands for

the seas we have. The blue star

stands for the conservative party.

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zens in Panama. In his statement,

Bush claimed that Noriega had de-

clared that a state of war existed

between the United States and Pa-

nama and that he also threatenedthe lives of the approximately

35,000 US citizens living there. There

had been numerous clashes be-

tween U.S. and Panamanian forces;

one US Marine had been killed a few

days earlier and several incidents of

harassment of US citizens had taken

place.

- Defending democracy and human

rights in Panama.

The official United States justifica-

tion for the invasion was articulated

by President George H. W. Bush on

the morning of December 20, 1989,

a few hours after the start of the

operation. President Bush listed four

reasons for the invasion:

- Safeguarding the lives of U.S. citi-

- Combating drug trafficking. Pa-

nama had become a center for drug

money laundering and a transit

point for drug trafficking to the

United States and Europe.- Protecting the integrity of the

Torrijos-Carter Treaties. Members

of Congress and others in the U.S.

political establishment claimed that

Noriega threatened the neutrality of

the Panama Canal and that the

United States had the right under

the treaties to intervene militarily to

protect the Panama canal.

“LA INVASIÓN” - DECEMBER 20TH, 1989

crime in the country. In Colon, un-

employment is estimated to be 50%

among youth between the ages of

15 to 25.

The poorest group of people is the

indigenous native people, who make

up only 8% of the population. This

minority group lives in remote areas

of the country where access to edu-

cation and health care is limited.

About 17% of the overall population

is undernourished and almost half of

all Panamanian children are poor.

Overall, 7.4% of the population is

living on less than $1 a day.

According to Transparency Interna-

tional’s Corruption Perceptions In-

dex, Panama is ranked 84 out of 163

countries.

Major Exports include: Banana,

shrimp, sugar and coffee.

Panama has the second most un-

equal income distribution in Latin

America.

About 30% of the population lives in

poverty, primarily concentrated in

rural areas. The wealthiest 20% of

Panamanians control more than 50%

of the country's wealth, while the

poorest 40% only control 12%.

Colon, Panama’s second largest city,

has the highest rates of poverty and

GOOD TO KNOW FACTS

Panama’s Shield or Armors

P.O.P.

Panama’s National Bird

The Harpy Eagle

The “Dirty Devils”

(Diablicos Sucios)

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Key Events in PanamaYEAR HIGHLIGHT

1821Panama becomes independent of Spain, but joins the confederacy of Gran Colombia, which also comprises Co-

lombia, Venezuela, Ecuador, Peru and Bolivia.

1830 Panama becomes part of Colombia following the collapse of Gran Colombia.

1846 Panama signs treaty with US allowing it to build a railway across the isthmus.

1903Panama splits from Colombia and becomes fully independent. US buys rights to build Panama Canal and is given

control of the Canal Zone in perpetuity.

1914 Panama Canal completed.

1939 Panama ceases to be a US protectorate.

1968-81 General Omar Torrijos Herrera, the National Guard chief, overthrows the elected president and imposes a dicta-torship.

1981 Torrijos dies in plane crash.

1983

Former intelligence chief and one-time US Central Intelligence Agency informant Manuel Noriega becomes

head of the National Guard, builds up the size of the force, which he renames the Panama Defense Forces, and

greatly increases its power over Panama's political and economic life.

1988 US charges Noriega with drug smuggling; Noriega declares state of emergency in the wake of a failed coup.

1989

Opposition wins parliamentary elections, but Noriega declares results invalid. Noriega declares "state of war" in

the face of increased threats by Washington. US invades Panama, ousts Noriega and replaces him with Gui-

llermo Endara.

1991 Parliament approves constitutional reforms, including abolition of standing army; privatisation begins.

1992US court finds Noriega guilty of drug offences and sentences him to 40 years imprisonment, to be served in a US

prison.1999 Mireya Moscoso becomes Panama's first woman president.

1999Panama takes full control of the Panama Canal, ending nearly a century of American jurisdiction over one of the

world's most strategic waterways.

2004 Panama Canal earns record revenues of $1 billion for the financial year.

2006Voters in a referendum back a $5.2bn plan to upgrade the Panama Canal. The scheme aims to double the capac-

ity of the waterway.

2006 Panama and the US agree on a free trade deal.

2007 Work to widen Panama Canal begins.

2009A US federal appeals court says Panama's ex-leader, Manuel Noriega, can be extradited to France. Noriega was

released from a Florida prison in September 2008 after serving a 17-year sentence for drug trafficking.

Source: BBC News

P.O.P.

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P.O.P.

Although the security situation is

stable, Brigade members should

exercise caution due to high

crime rates. As in most large cit-

ies, brigade members should

take precautions against theft,

stick to well-traveled areas and

be alert to pickpockets. Do not

display unnecessary signs of af-

fluence or carry large of sums of

cash, and be aware of your sur-

roundings when using ATMs in

public areas. Demonstrations and

protest marches over various

social and political issues occa-

sionally occur in Panama City,

especially near the state univer-

sity, and on main streets and

highways. Brigades are always

accompanied by local guides and

we advise members to stick to-

gether while exploring the city.

For the latest security informa-

tion, U.S. citizens traveling abro-

ad should regularly monitor the

Department of State's Bureau of

Consular Affairs' website, which

contains current the Travel War-

nings and Travel Alerts.

PANAMA IS VERY SAFE COMPARED TOOTHER CENTRAL AMERICAN COUNTRIES

vice on vaccinations and health

precautions before leaving thestates. If you have a medical con-

dition, you should also share

your travel plans with any doc-

tors you are currently seeing for

other medical reasons.

You should always check with

your personal physician for ad-

Vaccines our volunteers need:

Hepatitis A

Hepatitis B

Tetanus

Typhoid

Malaria

Every volunteer should obtain Typ-

hoid and oral Malaria vaccines.

Hepatitis A, B, and tetanus

passport. Leave one copy with a

trusted individual at your univer-

sity (i.e. an advisor) so that it can

be faxed to you in case you lose

the original. Stash one copy in

your wallet and have it on you at

all times.

If you have a US Passport you

don't need a Visa. If you don’t,

please visit the following website

t o m a k e s u r e y o u

have the correct visa:

www.embassyofpanama.org/

cms/immigration3.php

You need an

u p - t o - d a t e

passport (at

least six

m o n t h s

valid ) to

travel to Pa-nama –check

the expiration

date! Before leaving, make two

copies of the inside page of your

HEALTH PRECAUTIONS

PASSPORTS & VISAS

Ave. Balboa, Panama City

CARRY A COPY OF YOUR PASSPORT

WITH YOU EVERYTIME WE MOVE FROM

PLACE TO PLACE .

Dengue mosquito

DON ́ T FORGET YOUR MOSQUITO REPELENT

( DEET > 30%)

http://travel.state.gov/



http://travel.state.gov/travel/cis_pa_tw/cis_pa_tw_1168.html



http://www.embassyofpanama.org/cms/immigration3.php









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Passport (Original & 2 copies)

Other important documents (e.g.

Visas—if needed)

Spending money ($200 should beplenty)

Bug spray (>30% deet)

Sleeping bag, blanket & flashlight.

Light rainy jackets

Lightweight pants, light sweatshirt

Hat, sunglasses, sun block

Pack light, yet remember the

essentials.

Shorts & t-shirts

Camera/ Video camera

Water bottleShower sandals, towel, toiletries

Swim suit (It’s a must!)

Closed-toed shoes (sneakers)

Pen and notebook

Long-sleeves shirt & below-the-knee pants for Indigenous Meetings

(if applicable).

PACK YOUR BAGS!

while on their Brigade. GB Travel

will handle the arrangements for

this policy for all Brigaders. Tra-

vel insurance is over and above

the price of the air ticket and is

non-refundable once paid.

Insurance Cost: $35 per person

Coverage:

$25,000 Emergency Medical/

Dental Coverage

$100,000 Emergency Medical

Transportation

24-hour Hotline Assistance

It is mandatory that all travelers

purchase travel insurance that

includes coverage for medical

attention and medical evacuation

INSURANCE

vaccinations should already have

been received if attending school

in the U.S., however some mayneed these as well.

If you need HEP A and HEP B,

they are given in doses that are

months apart, so you will need as

much time as possible to comple-

te these. However, if only one ortwo doses are received before

departure for Panama, this is

okay, and they should receive the

final dose(s) upon return to the

U.S. Vaccinations can usually be

obtained at the university health

clinic, through each volunteer’s

personal health care provider, or

through a travel clinic.

For more information about ne-

cessary vaccinations, please see

t h e C D C ' s w e b s i t e :

http://wwwnc.cdc.gov/travel/destinations/panama.aspx

P.O.P.

GLOBAL BUSINESS BRIGADES MAINTAINS

AN EMERGENCY PLAN FOR EACH

BRIGADE, MEANING ACCESS TO A LOCAL

CLINIC, HOSPITAL AND AVAILABLE

PHYSICIAN IS SECURED PRIOR TO

CONFIRMING A PROJECT SITE.

Contact your travel advisor for the lost baggage policy.






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Panama is hot,humid, and

wet. When onc o m m u n i t yvisits, what-ever you wear

may get wet, muddy, and dirty – so don’t bring your favorite

jeans.

In the city you’ll want to look

presentable, but there is no needfor high heels, expensive jewelry,or formal clothes.

Leave hair dryers and most majorelectronics (iPods are O.K.) at

home.

Try to pack light. A large back-

pack or duffle bag should provide

plenty of room for everything

that you need to bring.

We may be moving back and

forth daily between your accom-

modations and the project site,

so you may want to bring a small

backpack for day trips.

Medicine: keep them in their

original prescription bottles and

always in your carry-on luggage.

Be sure to follow security guide-

lines, if the medicines are liquids.

Bring some plastic zip-lock bags

to keep your personal belong-

ings (e.g. camera, wallet) dry.

Leave some room in your bag to

bring presents home!

while in Panama.

Most U.S. cellular phones do notwork in Panama unless an interna-

tional phone plan is pre-arranged.

All transportation and lodging is pro-

vided. Global Brigades ensures that

you are taken to and from lodging,

projects sites and any other brigade

activities conveniently and safely.

There will always be at least one and

Make sure you keep your passport

and other important documents in a

ziplock bag and in a secured place.

Your emergency contact will be noti-

fied by email of your safe arrival in

Panama.

Every student will receive an wallet-

sized card with emergency contact

numbers and accommodations’ ad-

dresses of the hostel to keep you on

generally two adult advisors on each

brigade. A trained Global Brigades

Coordinator will lead the week-longbrigade, as well as a trained logistics

coordinator.

Water is potable in Panama City, and

Brigaders will always have access to

safe drinking water during communi-

ty visits.

Panamanian food (e.i. rice, chicken,

vegetables) will be served. If you

have any special needs (i.e. vegeta-

rian or allergies), please notify a Bri-

gade staff as soon as possible.

While in the city, brigaders will be

staying at Hostal Doña Victoria, loca-ted in Cerro Campana, 45 minutes

away from the center of the city.

Tel.: +507 6618-8370

While in the community, the brigade

will be staying at local accommoda-

tions, like the community’s school

or another safe place to sleep and

keep the personal belongings. All

accommodations are pre-checked

for safety, cleanliness, amenities,

access to project site and emergency

needs.

While in the city, lunches/dinners

will be either prepared, ordered in

or in a restaurant type setting. While

in the rural community, traditional

UPON YOUR ARRIVAL

FOOD & ACCOMMODATIONS

P.O.P.

PACKING TIPS

SMALL BACKPACKS OR HANDBAGS COME

HANDY WHEN MOVING AROUND WITH

VALUABLE BELONGINGS OR ESSENTIALS.

http://www.tsa.gov/

http://www.tsa.gov/

http://www.tsa.gov/

http://www.tsa.gov/

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Every brigade will be assigned a bri-gade coordinator and interpreter.

GB staff has been previously trained

to carry-out brigades according to

their specific roles and responsibili-

ties.

Reach out to your Brigade Coordina-

tor for itinerary, workshops, food/

medication allergies and overall bri-

gade issues.

Reach out to your interpreter for

cultural sensitivity and language

issues.

Time at the community will go faster

than you think!

It is of utmost importance that the

brigade handles time efficiently and

wisely. Debrief sessions during the

night can and will extend for many

hours. Take advantage of this free

time to prepare and to get together

for your workshops.

Be considerate to your team and the

community members; everyone's

punctuality is requested. Even when

the locals do not share this best

interpreters)

RESPECT Show respect for their cul-

ture and language. Ask yourself, "How

would I feel if I were in their shoes?"

NAMES Learn how to pronounce

names correctly (even if it is in dia-

lect). Their name is as important to

them as yours is to you.

FEELINGS Be sensitive to their feelings

about their homeland. Developing

nations are not as poor, backward or

uneducated as it sometimes assumed.

Working with rural communities in

Panama can be a challenge. This is

not because they are unwilling to

cooperate, but it more so because of their cultural tradition. Fortunately,

this is not a huge obstacle.

Here are a few pointers to follow in

order to be culturally sensitive.

INITIATIVE Take the initiative to

make contact with the community,

even if language is a problem at first.

(Remember you will count with a

AUTHENTICITY Be yourself. Show

our interest & that you care about

them as people and are here to

learn and help.

LISTEN Take time to listen. You will

be amazed by the reasons behind

many of their decisions.

Panama is a tropical-rainforest coun-

try, this means we have many differ-

ent species of animals anywhere

you go. Regardless of if you’re in the

countryside, the jungle or on an is-

land, DO NOT walk around by your-

self without letting anyone know –

especially at night.

Snakes like to go out at night and

they are not necessarily the friendly

ones.

Always stay with the group. It is im-

portant that we stick together so

that we avoid having anyone get lost

–this includes city or country side. If

we’re all together, it’s safer.

While at the city tour, inform your

coordinator if you are separating

from the group to go the bathroom.

It is completely prohibited to drink

alcohol while in the community. We

do not want to have any issue or an

uncomfortable moment. We can’t

control situations when alcohol is

involved and this can cause irreversi-

ble damage to the relationship our

organization has with our partners,

schools, brigaders and community

members.

Carrying liquor with you during the

brigade is prohibited.

P.O.P.

TOP OF MIND

FOLLOW THE ALCOHOL POLICY BE CAUTIOUS

REMEMBER: CULTURAL SENSITIVITY

STICK IN GROUP

REACH OUT TO LEADERSHIP HANDLE YOUR TIME

Brigaders! Your are just a few months

away from living this gratifying and

adventurous experience! Here are a

few ground rules for you to always

keep in mind.

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There are many things you can do to

prepare for your brigade! You will

stay in the community for 5 days and

you will need to handle your time

efficiently to have as much impact aspossible with your workshops.

Here are a few things your brigade

could do:

Read the previous Business Brigades

Reports to get a sense of how a bri-

gade flows and what techniques,

workshops, workshops and

approaches other groups have

adopted in the past that could be

useful in Panama.

Read the pre-brigade documenta-

tion thoroughly, including workshop

templates, and how you and the

club can creatively engage the com-

munity (role-playing, community

presentations, etc).

Click here to see past projects!

Research on methods, techniques or

models that could be applied to the

project you have been assigned.

Research the partner you will be

working with, so you can understand

how their work are how can we sup-

port them.

Research on Panama’s Economic-

social and political history so you can

gain a sense of the country ‘s current

situation.

Listen to the community members and ask

them questions! Don't take any informa-

tion for granted and test your assumptions.

Gather as much information to gain a bet-

ter understanding of what they already

know and want to know. You will be sur-

prised to find the community's true objec-

tive. Maybe their priority is to preserve

their culture instead of increasing their

profit.

Second Topic: The Program Lead

and Advisor will host this call to dis-

cuss the project assigned to your

chapter.

Third Topic: The program Lead and

Advisor will host a second confer-

ence call to answer more questions

about the assigned project and to

prepare the group for the Capacity

Building Workshops.

Fourth Topic: Logistics Lead and

Advisor will host this call to discuss

logistics details such as accommoda-

tions, water, bathrooms, food, and

transportation.

Attend all conference Calls hosted

by the Global Brigades Staff. Valu-

able information will be shared dur-

ing these calls that you will later

need during the brigade.

GB Staff will cover four main topics

via conference calls with the brigad-

ers.

First Topic: Our advising team will

host conference calls with brigaders

to help start the club and prepare

everyone for the brigade.

KEEP THIS IN MIND DURING THE BRIGADE!

INFO SESSIONS & CONFERENCE CALLS

P.O.P.

PREPARING FOR YOUR PROJECT

TEST ALL ASSUMPTIONS

Instead of conducting a question-

naire or survey, have an informal

and comfortable conversation.

Language may be a barrier, how-

ever, you have interpreters to help

you! Body language is commonly

understood, regardless of the lan-

guage you speak.

HAVE A CONVERSATION

Contact and keep in touch with

ex-brigaders so you can expand

your understanding. Having con-versations with ex-brigaders is a

great idea. Also, frequently visit

our Global Brigades Facebook

Page to get the latest updates

and links to other brigaders.

Building rapport with the locals. They will

share more information with you and you

will better understand their needs.

http://globalbrigades.wikidot.com/gbb:past-projects



8/6/2019 GBB SDSU


time during the brigade.

There will be one pick-up and one

drop-off at the airport. Always re-

main as a group when at the airport

so GB Staff can easily find everyone.

The best time to work on your Pro-

ject Report is right after returning

from the community. We will provi-

de your group with a template for

Global Brigades will provide trans-

portation throughout the entire bri-

gade.

Punctuality is esssential. We will

loose valuable time if we wait just

for one person.

We encourgade brigaders to come

prepared from their origin country

so they can make the best use of

you to start taking notes and for

keeping track of each day’s activities

and workshops.

During your time in the city, it is ex-

tremely important that everyone

stays together. If at any time, you

need to separate yourself from the

group, please inform your brigade

coordinator.

NOTE: All Itineraries are subject to last minute changes.

Every brigade will have its own itine-

rary. Itineraries are created taking

into consideration the three keyelements of every brigade.

Capacity Building: You will use this

precious time to interview the mem-

bers to get a good grasp of the com-

munity and identify the best ways to

approach the flaws and issues. A

powerful way of improving deficien-

cies aspects is through workshops

delivered to the community that

have been tailored to their needs

and level of understanding. A great

part of the time at the community

will be focused on planning, prepa-ring and delivering the workshops, in

order to ensure the brigade leaves

the ‘how to’ behind.

Cultural Exchange: The community

will organize cultural activities at site

that will show brigaders their way of

life. Students will work together with

the community on seeding, planting

and harvesting

Community Investment Fund: Stu-

dents will use their time in the com-

munity to observe and interview themembers to discover the priorities

of the project and the community.

On the last day in the community,

students will have an official mee-

ting with the project members to

present their decision for using the

Community Investment Fund in a

sustainable and economically bene-

ficial way.

P.O.P.

WHAT A GENERAL ITINERARY LOOKS LIKE

IMPORTANT

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For EVERY program donation that a

brigader contributes, $100 will be

invested directly into the project asthe Community Investment Fund

(CIF).

The purpose of this fund is to use it

for purchasing materials/equipment

that will benefit the successful de-

velopment of the business and

strengthen its operations.

The CIF is not a donation. It is in an

“investment”.

In the brigade the community will

be requested to write down a

“Priorities List”, you will use this list

and your observations to decidewhere to allocate the investment.

When brainstorming about where to

allocate the CCIF, please remember

the following:

CIF can’t be allocated as cash

under no circumstances , in-

stead, purchases will always be

made by GB Staff once the bri-

gade is gone.

Our CIF Lead, Oscar Valencia,

will take care of doing the CIF

purchases and sending/taking it

to the community after the bri-gade is gone.

The CIF can only be used in tan-

gibles that will contribute to the

success of the communitarian

business.

The CIF can’t be used to finance

manual labor. Due to the com-

plexity of keeping track and

control of this type of payment,

manual labor will be providedby the community members or

who have shown the most dedica-

tion and participation during capac-

ity building workshops and have

thoughtfully made use of the invest-

ment.

In other words, it will serve and an

In the event that after everything

has been purchased and there are

still funds available, the leftover will

be allocated into a fund that will be

used at the end of the year. This

fund will be used to support the pro-

ject and business of those members

incentive for those members to keep

up the good work and effort.

Since in many cases leftovers are

just a few dollars it may take some

time to really get a good amount to

invest in that community.

You will find that prices estimated

during the brigade will vary. Usually

there is very little or no leftover CIF

once all the investment is pur-

chased.

Once the brigade has departed to

their country of origin, GB Staff willstart programming purchases and

deliveries to the projects that have

been visited by a brigade during that

season.

Once the materials have been deliv-

ered, brigaders will be notified by

GB Staff.

Your investment will be delivered

within 60 days after the brigade.

PURCHASES & DELIVERY

P.O.P.

COMMUNITY INVESTMENT FUND

LOADING THE SHIP OFFICE SUPPLIES

RESTAURANT SUPPLIES TRANSPORTING

LEFTOVER FUNDS

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have the skills to do Panama Hats,

made out of bellota palms. They

have the potential of selling the raw

material they can grow and also the

hats themselves.

The infrastructures in this farm arenot the best. Considering the envi-

ronmental factors, they could use

some enhancement not for the aes-

thetic part but more to make sure

things are kept safe and dry.

So far farmers have been working

the land to satisfy their nutrition.

Sales are oriented to local consum-

ers.

Farmers are planning on planting

1.2 acres more of corn and reacti-vate the tilapia pools. They had

discontinued it because the tilapia

fry would come mixed in gender.

They would then reproduce so

much it was too difficult to keep a

healthy amount of them in the

same pool at a time.

The women association members

This 3.7 acres (approx.) land is mostly covered with corn

and fields. It has infrastructure such as chicken coop, stor-

age/dorm room, meeting room, kitchen, pigsty, and tilapia

pools. The farm is located to the north of Penonomé City

in the province of Coclé. The road is paved up until 5 min-

utes before getting to the farm by foot.

The farm association is supported by Patronato de Nu-

trición. Number one priority is to encourage a diversified

nutrition within the community and with time and effort

see farmers go from consumption to profit.

PROJECT PROFILE

PROVINCE:

COMMUNITY:

TRAVEL TIME FROM PANAMA CITY:

PARTNER REPRESENTATIVE:

P.O.P.

GENERAL INFORMATION

Coclé

Santa Cruz, Penenomé

4 hours

Engineer Daniel Trujillo

Panama City

Santa Cruz

Capacity Building Suggestions

Accounting

Business Administration

Cost Analysis

*During your interviewing session you

could identify other areas of improve-

ment.

Investment Suggestions

Construction Materials

M a r k e t i n g M a t e r i a l s f o r

Panamanian Hats

Corn de-husker

CORN, RICE & SUGAR CANE FIELDS

CURRENT SITUATION WHERE COULD YOU HELP?

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Many farms across Panama receive

assistance from governmental insti-

tutions. In some occasions chicks aregiven. However, food to grow

chicken has increased to an extend it

is no longer that profitable to have

chickens for sale. Big poultry compa-

nies sell their chicken for a price that

is small farmers can compete with, if

they want to get some profit from.

On the other hand, many locals pre-

fer gallina de patio (free-range hens)

to regular supermarket chicken for

it’s commonly believed nutritionalsupplement added-value, taste, and

texture. Currently, broilers are usu-

ally sold en pluma (alive) or limpios

(processed). Selling processed

chicken requires many sanitary certi-

fications that are usually not met bymany farmers. The number one rea-

son is the lack of resources to have a

clean and equipped are to process

the chickens. There are other certifi-

cations the Ministry of Health may

require as well.

Associated expenses such as power

to keep freezers running, potable

water and production materials are

more than often difficult to obtain.

Due to these factors many associa-

tions are focusing their farming

model on agriculture rather than on

poultry. Some have introduced or

reactivated aquaculture in their

land. Specifically tilapia fish waterpools are currently being used. For-

tunately tilapias can be fed with

roots, leaves, among other things.

This type of nutrition will keep them

alive but will delay their growth.

As far as agriculture, many products

are available in the farm. Main effort

goes towards the maintenance of

the farm, planting, harvesting, proc-

essing, and preparing the land for

replanting.

P.O.P.

IMPORTANT INFORMATION

Pigsty

Tilapia Pool

Broilers Coop

Meetings Center





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This farm has rice, corn, oranges,

cassava, oranges, beans, plantains,

and coffee. Rice and corn are the

main products . Grown mainly to

feed the association members

throughout the year but are also for

sale. Both thee tilapia pool and pig-

sty projects are on hold. They used

to sell a lot of chicken to local con-

venience stores, however they facedcertain bureaucratic obstacles so

they have decided just to consume

the chickens.

P.O.P.

PROJECT INFORMATION

PRODUCT

Locals prefer free-range chickens to

supermarket poultry. Local restau-

rants purchase local chicken but

some have been stopping this prac-

tice, since the ministry of health

requires them to render the suppli-

ers information, this supplier must

count with all sanitary certificates.

Other farm products are also sold in

the community. They currentlypoultry to locals when possible. The

do not sell Panamanian hats, but it

does have a good market in the city.

MARKET

Revenue comes from the sale of the

different products they grow. If the

season is really good and there are

minimal losses then they would sell

more.

BUSINESS MODEL

Farm members create interest in

their potential customers by “word-

of-month” advertising. In cases

when there is enough of a product

to be sold, Patronato de Nutriciónsupports them with transportation.

Pricing is determined on the compe-

tition rather than on a specific profit

margin (expense per item is un-

known). Products are not labeled at

all. Distribution is rarely done, as

community members would come

directly to the farm to buy any of the

products.

MARKETING

If community members were inter-

ested in buying any product. They

would come to the farm, buy them

and take them home. Farmers an-

nounce when there are products forsale, but the community usually

knows when harvesting seasons is,

and when they can go personally to

the farm to buy some products.

Products are sold in cash, sometimes

on account. Processed chicken is

taken in a plastic bag. No refrigera-

tion involved throughout this proc-

ess. They don’t have a freezer.

SALES STRATEGY

Operations are determined by the

season of the year. When rainy sea-

son starts many products are

planted, and nourished throughout

the following months. Maintenancealso occupies much of their time as

undergrowth grows rapidly. Months

after, harvesting season comes. Dur-

ing dry season farmers start prepar-

ing the soil for next year’s cropping.

This may vary per product. Animals

also need to be nourished and be

given daily care.

OPERATIONS

Some community members from

Asociación 3 de Mayo. The group

has been working together for over

9 years.

TIME IN BUSINESS

The association consists of 14 mem-

bers. The board is formed by a presi-dent, vice-president, production and

minutes secretaries, spokesman,

treasurer and the financial officer.

The org chart is then followed by the

rest of the association members

who actively work in the farm.

Weekly meeting are held for farming

purposes. They met 4 times a week

to work in the land.

PERSONNEL

Bookkeeping is commonly an area

that needs improvement. Revenue isrecorded and so are the expenses

but there is not a clear idea of how

much is left as a profit due to the

lack of accurate accounting records.

It is common that many know how

much of a products was produced

but not how much of that translated

into profit (or loss). In addition to

this, members are not paid for work-

ing. They are mostly keeping record

of the worked hours.

BOOKKEEPING

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Patronato de Nutrición is non-profit

organization that supports farmers

with the tools and capacity building

they need in order to work their

land. Patronato’s main objective is

to fight against poverty and in result

against malnutrition in our mostsensitive population. This organiza-

tion is formed by civic guilds. This

they do by investing big amounts of

money in hardware supplies and

manpower so that farmers can "built

up" all the infrastructure they need

for a prosperous farm (ponds, the

land where they plant the crops,

proper irrigation systems, etc.) The

land is bought by Patronato to the

farmers at the very beginning. Then

they invest on it and the farmers

work it and basically gain a living by

selling the crops. Little by little, the

farmers are able to pay back to Pa-

tronato for the land (usually after 5-10 years). Farmers eventually regis-

ter it under the name of an Associa-

tion (acquiring legal status and ow-

nership of the land) and by this time

they have already grown a prospe-

rous sustainable farm on their own.

This status also allows farms to apply

for grants, micro-credit and get

sponsorships. Patronato now has

over 320 farms.

The farms are an extension from five to 20 hectares, inten-

ded for the cultivation of food, that provide macro and micro

nutrients necessary to keep a good nutritional condition of

the participating population. For its integral and diversifica-

tion feature of the population, it is considered the production

of cereals, leguminous, vegetables, tubers, among others;

breeding of penned animals, using the natural resources in a

rational manner, protecting the environment and practicing a

good administration (management control) of the financial

resources with the purpose of obtaining self-supply and sus-

tainability of the project, generating surplus of the produc-

tion for its commercialization.

The exploitation of the farm is made in a collective and orga-

nized manner; in average, about 9 families per farm partici-

pate.

SELF-SUSTAINABLE DEVELOPMENT & PRODUCTION FARMS

P.O.P.

PATRONATO DE NUTRICIÓN

To consolidate associations of producers with technical-

management capacity, owning the means of production and

that it be a legal entity, that help them venture into the tra-

ding of their production with less disadvantages, in a market,

every day more competitive, and with an efficient produc-

tion, intended to the consumption of participating families,

and making emphasis on the 9 sensitive items, in a period of

7 years.

GOAL

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GBB Panama Staff

Jessica Cano, GB Operations Manager [email protected]

507.61507340 / 507.2144804

Gabriela Valencia, GB Logistics Director [email protected]

507.60438396

Chris Burillo, GBB Panama Lead [email protected]

507.65793475

GBB Home Team (For Emergency Use Only)

Michelle Menclewicz, GB Director of Student Affairs [email protected]

949.290.0986

Danielle Starry, GB Travel Director [email protected]

330.605.3576

Catherine Berman, GBB Co-founder/CEO [email protected]

310.806.0204

Global Brigades (GB) is the world’s largest student-led international devel-opment organization. As a secular, 501c3 nonprofit organization, we em-

power university students and young professionals nation-wide to provide

communities in developing countries with sustainable solutions that im-

prove quality of life while respecting local culture and improving the envi-

ronment.

Global Brigades, Inc.

PO Box: 712219

Los Angeles, CA 90071

www.globalbrigades.org

Documents

GBB SDSU