Dear Family & Friends,
As many of you know, I am currently serving as a Peace Corps Volunteer in Western Panama. For the past year I have been living in a small village with members of Panama’s largest indigenous group, the Ngäbe. My job as an Environmental Health Volunteer is to work with the local community to improve their access to clean water and effective sanitation systems. As a Peace Corps Volunteer I strive to leave a sustainable impact on my community, Bajo Cacicón, through empowerment and capacitation. Many of you have expressed interest in contributing to my Peace Corps work. I am now at the point in my service that it is easy for friends and family to get involved.
(If you have already heard my story and would like to contribute to my project, you can scroll down and follow the link at the bottom. If not, please read the story of my project that follows.)
My work thus far has focused on identifying my community’s strengths and weaknesses, their most urgent needs, and the challenges associated with the extreme poverty of the region. Using my Peace Corps training, community organizing skills, and much-improved Spanish, I have facilitated a variety of community meetings and discussions. Through this process the community was able to unite and determine their primary need of new latrines.
Currently without latrines, the people of Bajo Cacicón use Quebrada Plata, a nearby stream, to go to the bathroom. Quebrada Plata is also the sole place for bathing and washing, and the water is used for both cooking and drinking. This environmental and public health nightmare leaves the locals with regular bouts of e.coli, giardia, and amoebic dysentery. Children are the most at-risk group and suffer awful consequences due to the exposure of these pathogens. Bloated bellies and severe diarrhea are common symptoms among children and exacerbate malnutrition and other poverty-related health problems.
The people of Bajo Cacicón and I have developed a plan to solve this problem. We will build 46 latrines for families within the community to improve the health of over 300 people. Basic latrines will ensure that all dangerous pathogens are contained a safe-distance from Quebrada Plata and will no longer threaten the health of the community.
Because the Peace Corps seeks to empower and capacitate we are requiring each family to contribute 50% of the construction of their latrine. This contribution will be in the form of materials (supplying sand and wood) and labor (transporting purchased materials to the community and construction of the latrines). The easiest way for you to help the families of Bajo Cacicón is to send a donation for the purchase of required materials. The monetary cost of building a latrine for one family is $102.
I am asking each of you to consider the health and well being of a community that has been under-served by its country and is working hard to make positive changes. I feel fortunate to be living and working with the people of Bajo Cacicón. Please contribute the amount you are able and consider paying for at least one family to complete this project.
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| Children of my host family bathing in a stream |
To donate, visit my Peace Corps website and use a credit or debit card to make a contribution. 100% of your donation will go directly to build latrines in Bajo Cacicón. Feel free to send me an email with questions or comments. I would love to hear from you. Also, please forward this email to anyone that might be interested in my project. Thank you for your time and consideration. Any amount you can give will significantly improve the lives of the children and adults of Bajo Cacicón.
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