Global Brigades is an international non-profit that empowers communities to meet their health and economic goals through university volunteers and local teams.

Panama

Build Clean Water Systems

Volunteers work alongside community members and local technicians to build custom-designed water systems for rural under-resourced communities. Volunteers assist in connecting pipes, installing in-home water faucets, digging trenches, and conducting educational workshops to improve health outcomes. Volunteer participation empowers a year-round staff of engineers to build the capacity of a community-led Water Committee to ensure that there is funding and technical capacity to maintain the system long into the future.

Water Brigade –
7 Day Sample Schedule

To develop an understanding of community needs, volunteers first visit the community to get introduced to the project and community members. They then examine the water challenges, meet with community leaders, and visit families in their homes. Volunteers learn to look holistically to identify the community’s assets and challenges, before working collaboratively to construct the new water system. Volunteers may work to build the dam, tank, cistern, and/or the piping system. Near the end of the brigade, volunteers present an education workshop to primary school children in collaboration with members of the community-led Water Committee. These topics include themes such as basic sanitation practices, safe water storage, water conservation, and watershed protection.

Water Internship –
14 Day Overview

Day 1 Day 2 Day 3 Day 4 Day 5 Day 6 Day 7
7:00am Airport Pick up and Transport to Lodging Facility Breakfast Breakfast Breakfast Breakfast Breakfast
8:00am Transport to Community Transport to Community Transport to Community Transport to Community Transport to Community
9:00am Community Tour Water System Construction Water System Construction Water System Construction Education Workshop Breakfast
10:00am Transport to Airport & Airline Check in
11:00am
12:00pm Lunch Lunch Lunch Lunch Lunch
1:00pm Meet with Families & Basic Sanitation Committee Water System Construction Water System Construction Water System Construction Despedida (Goodbye) with Community
2:00pm
3:00pm Settle In
4:00pm Introduction to Global Brigades Transport to Lodging Facility Transport to Lodging Facility Transport to Lodging Facility Transport to Lodging Facility Transport to Lodging Facility
5:00pm Free Time Free Time Free Time Free Time Free Time
6:00pm Free Time
7:00pm Dinner Dinner Dinner Dinner Dinner Dinner
8:00pm Water Introduction Water Meeting Water Meeting Water Meeting Water Meeting Reflection
Day 1
7:00am Airport Pick up and Transport to Lodging Facility
8:00am
9:00am
10:00am
11:00am
12:00pm
1:00pm
2:00pm
3:00pm Settle In
4:00pm Introduction to Global Brigades
5:00pm
6:00pm Free Time
7:00pm Dinner
8:00pm Water Introduction
Day 2
7:00am Breakfast
8:00am Transport to Community
9:00am Community Tour
10:00am
11:00am
12:00pm Lunch
1:00pm Meet with Families & Basic Sanitation Committee
2:00pm
3:00pm
4:00pm Transport to Lodging Facility
5:00pm Free Time
6:00pm
7:00pm Dinner
8:00pm Water Meeting
Day 3
7:00am Breakfast
8:00am Transport to Community
9:00am Water System Construction
10:00am
11:00am
12:00pm Lunch
1:00pm Water System Construction
2:00pm
3:00pm
4:00pm Transport to Lodging Facility
5:00pm Free Time
6:00pm
7:00pm Dinner
8:00pm Water Meeting
Day 4
7:00am Breakfast
8:00am Transport to Community
9:00am Water System Construction
10:00am
11:00am
12:00pm Lunch
1:00pm Water System Construction
2:00pm
3:00pm
4:00pm Transport to Lodging Facility
5:00pm Free Time
6:00pm
7:00pm Dinner
8:00pm Water Meeting
Day 5
7:00am Breakfast
8:00am Transport to Community
9:00am Water System Construction
10:00am
11:00am
12:00pm Lunch
1:00pm Water System Construction
2:00pm
3:00pm
4:00pm Transport to Lodging Facility
5:00pm Free Time
6:00pm
7:00pm Dinner
8:00pm Water Meeting
Day 6
7:00am Breakfast
8:00am Transport to Community
9:00am Education Workshop
10:00am
11:00am
12:00pm Lunch
1:00pm Despedida (Goodbye) with Community
2:00pm
3:00pm
4:00pm Transport to Lodging Facility
5:00pm Free Time
6:00pm
7:00pm Dinner
8:00pm Reflection
Day 7
7:00am
8:00am
9:00am Breakfast
10:00am Transport to Airport & Airline Check In
11:00am
12:00pm
1:00pm
2:00pm
3:00pm
4:00pm
5:00pm
6:00pm
7:00pm
8:00pm

Volunteer Donation Goal

Volunteers do not pay to participate in a Water Brigade. Instead, volunteers fundraise to support Global Brigades’ Holistic Model. Once a volunteer meets a set Donation Goal, they are eligible to join us on-the-ground to see their fundraising efforts put into action by participating in a Water Brigade.

When a volunteer participates in a Water Brigade, the volunteer’s ground transportation, food, lodging, and emergency insurance are all covered. The funding that the volunteer raised also supports all the necessary costs for program implementation, such as construction supplies, coordinators, masons, translators, and support staff.

Airfare is not included in the standard Donation Goal. However, Global Brigades’ travel team can work with volunteers to book airfare and incorporate the airfare expense into the volunteer’s Donation Goal.

2022-2023 Panama 7-day Water Brigade USD –

2022-2023 Panama 7-day Water Brigade CAD –

2022-2023 Panama 7-day Water Brigade GBP –

*Chapters with 3-9 volunteers, must be paired with another chapter.

 

Clean Water Fund

A portion of each Donation Goal supports our Clean Water Fund which enables year-round clean water solutions in partner communities carried out by our local teams. Specifically, the Fund supports water system planning and design, water council training on system operation, maintenance and administration, water system project management and follow-up visits, and on-going project monitoring and impact evaluation.

Safety

Volunteer safety will always be our absolute top priority. Global Brigades recently engaged Askari International Security, an industry leader in international risk assessment, to complete a comprehensive risk/safety assessment of all brigade operations. A full explanation of safety precautions and procedures can be found on our “Safety & Insurance” page.

In Panama

  • Global Brigades is an active member of OSAC (the Overseas Security Advisory Committee) and receives up-to-date security and safety briefings from the U.S. State Department;
  • Established relationship with Senafront to provide security escorts to those groups working in the Darien region;
  • Full-time local Global Brigades medical personnel on-call at all times;
  • Adherence to the IVPA standards of international volunteering.

Lodging Facilities

Global Brigades does an annual safety review of all lodging facility partners each year. Lodging facilities provide pillows, bedsheets and towels. Facilities have showers, toilets and sinks with running water (no hot water) as well as filtered clean drinking water dispensers onsite. 24-hour security is provided at all facilities. Conditions are most similar to a comfortable summer camp, with dormitory-style sleeping and shared bathrooms.

Water Brigades are assigned to lodging facilities based on proximity to the partner community they will be working with.

El Palmar

The El Palmar hostel sits along the Pan-American highway, approximately 30 minutes after passing Lago Bayano and approximately 10 minutes before reaching the town of Torti. Here, brigaders enjoy a beautiful view of a landscape full of green mountains and farms’ pastures. Global Brigades Panama has used El Palmar for several years, and it has housed hundreds of brigaders. Emergency medical care is easily accessible in Torti.

Hotel Avicar

Hotel Avicar sits along the Pan-American highway, approximately 40 minutes after passing Lago Bayano and is in the center of the town of Torti. Here, brigaders enjoy a beautiful view of a landscape full of green mountains and farms’ pastures. Also, brigaders staying at Hotel Avicar get see how life plays out in a rural town in East Panama. Emergency medical care is available in Torti.

Pro Niños

The Pro Niños facility sits along the Pan-American
highway, approximately 1 hour and 30 minutes after passing into the Darién province. The facility is also located about 10 minutes from the town of Meteti. Here, brigaders enjoy a beautiful view of a landscape full of green pastures and distant mountains. Global Brigades Panama has used the Pro Niños facility for several years, and it has housed hundreds of brigaders. Emergency medical care is available in Meteti and in the town of Santa Fe, about 30 minutes away.

San Carlos

The San Carlos facility sits about 10 minutes off of the Pan-American highway, approximately 1 hour and 30 minutes after leaving Panama City in the direction of the Coclé province. Here, brigaders enjoy a beautiful view of the Pacific Ocean. Global Brigades Panama will be using the San Carlos facility for the first time in March 2015. Emergency medical care is available at the Health Center in the town of San Carlos, approximately 2 minutes from this facility.

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This DONATION is non-refundable Global Brigades, Inc. is a 501(c)(3) charitable organization. Your donation will be used to further Global Brigades' mission and will be allocated toward the program you selected. This donation will not be utilized to fulfill a chapter or a volunteer's fundraising goal. Read Global Brigades, Inc's full Donation Refund Policy here.

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