Since 2008, Global Brigades has refined a holistic approach specific to the strengths and goals of Panamanian communities to grow local economies, improve access to healthcare and empower families with legal resources to resolve disputes and formalize businesses. Inspired by our many indigenous community partners, our Panama model focuses on promoting a sense of belonging within communities and always prioritizes collaboration program execution.
Panama boasts one of Global Brigades’ strongest economic development programs having established over 20 internationally recognized community-owned banks in some of the country’s most under resourced, rural communities. The community-owned banks empower families and businesses with access to savings and small, low-interest loans while providing extensive financial literacy programs, evidenced by a nearly 0% default rate. While many communities still receive Medical Brigades, our Panama team has partnered with local governments to establish long-term access to healthcare resources through a comprehensive community health worker program (CHW) . As with all Global Brigades countries, our final goal is to evolve each community relationship past direct interventions into one of follow-up and impact monitoring.