Here you will find out about Panama RPCVs who are running small businesses and NGOs in Panama, and how you can participate and help. |
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Small Businesses
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Bonnie Birker 1967 - 1969 L La Enea de Guararé, Los Santos Group 14 Bonnie Birker is back living near her old Peace Corps site in La Enea de Guarare, Provincia de Los Santos. She remodeled her house on the beach at El Puerto de Guarare and has now opened a guesthouse on the Pacific oceanfront: Casa del Puerto. Casa del Puerto is, "Oceanfront lodging in the center of the Azuero peninsula – the heart of Panama - folkloric traditions, celebrations, diverse tropical plants and trees in a dry forest region and the kindest, friendliest people." For more information, check out her website at www.panamacasadelpuerto.com or 507-994-4983, or email her at info[at]panamacasadelpuerto.com. Also see Reunion Events for information about a tour of the Azuero after the reunion! |
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Philip J. Schlesinger La Trinidad de Pese, Herrera 2001-2003 Philip James Realty Company offers professional, unbiased, and insightful information designed to help you meet your personal investment and second home ownership needs. Leveraging a strong background in business and Latin American development, as well as a wide network of strategic partnerships, Philip James Realty Company can help you with all aspects of buying real estate in Panama or Miami, including sourcing property, obtaining financing, negotiating contracts, planning tax strategies, setting up off-shore corporations, obtaining residency, and reselling your property. Moreover, we aim to find the smartest deals on the market to maximize your investment and ensure our clients are always treated as the most valued asset of our business. We also now offering property financing through U.S. banks as well as specialized immigration services. For more information, check out www.philipjamesrealty.com, or contact sales@philipjamesrealtyc.om or (507) 6480-0881 or (507) 399-0011. Or to call from the U.S., dial 1-888-PHILIPJ. |
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Andrea Aster 1999-2002 David, Chiriqui The Purple House International Backpackers Hostel was opened at the end of 2002 by Andrea Aster. We are very conveniently located in the center of one of the cities 24 hour commercial districts, in a safe residential neighborhood. We host backpackers, travelers and PCV's from all over the world and are very comfortable and cosy, like your "home away from home." Currently we have space for 22 people, in a configuration that continues to change and grow. We are very purple...and very proud of it! We offer our guests lots of information about the many tourism venues throughout Panama and place special emphasis on tourism projects that Peace Corps volunteers are promoting, so let us know what you are doing and get us some flyers! Current volunteers should feel free to visit us when they are coming this way and we are always looking for experienced RPCV's who are interested in working here in a managerial role for 1-3 months a year (usually Sept-Nov. time-frame). Contact us regarding these opportunities. Please visit our webpage for complete details on our facilities and prices. www.purplehousehostel.com, or feel free to email us at purplehousehostel[at]yahoo.com. "Do not neglect to show hospitality to strangers, for by this, some have entertained angels without knowing it.” "No se olviden practicar la hospitalidad, pues gracias a ella, algunos, sin saberlo, han hospedado angeles." Heb 13:2 |
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Demecia (Lloyd) Williams Bajo Sodi, Teribe, Bocas del Toro 2001-2003 Group 44 We are a local company dedicated to offering a quality adventure tourism experience by promoting the rich cultural heritage of the native Naso people and and the natural beauty and resources found within the Naso area. This enterprise will allow many Naso community members the chance to use their traditional skills to augment their income and promote the education of traditional ways among the younger generations. We offer a Peace Corps discount on a variety of day tours, overnight stays in our traditional cabins and extended length adventures. If interested in visiting Soposo Rainforest Adventures, we are located near Changuinola in the province of Bocas del Toro. The easiest way to arrive is in one of the two one-hour flights offered daily from Panama City to Changuinola. From Changuinola, Soposo representatives will be responsible for arranging your travel to the Soposo lodge. Please email info@soposo.com or call (507)-6631-2222 to make reservations. For additional information please see our web page at www.soposo.com. |
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NGOs
(Non-Governmental Organiztions a.k.a. Not-for-Profits) |
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Reported by Dawn Jones Nance, Changuinola, Bocas del Toro 1998-2000 Ngobe and Biodiversity Threatened by Hydroelectric Dam Project in Bocas del Toro AES Corporation, a Virginia-based, global energy giant, is financing the development of three major hydroelectric dams on Panama's Rio Changuinola bordering the International Bioreserve Parque Internacional La Amistad. AES subsidiary, AES Changuinola, reports that 1,005 members of Panama's largest indigenous group, the Ngobe, will have to be relocated by the projects planned for Bocas del Toro province to help meet Panama and Central America's rapidly growing appetite for energy in an environmentally and socially responsible manner. A growing coalition of NGO's counter that as many as 3,500 people will be displaced, and one of the world's more bio-diverse regions will be severely impacted. These groups have legally challenged the Panamanian government's approval of the project, citing an alleged coercion in gaining title to lands, faulty environmental and cultural assessments, and most recently police brutality that resulted in the incarceration of over fifty Ngobe protesters. A group of returned Peace Corps Volunteers (RPCVs) that worked in the area are organizing to assist Ngobe efforts to seek resolution to the crisis. So far these activities include a fact-finding and monitoring mission seeking to better understand the situation and explore ways in which interested RPCV's can help bring about an outcome that respects the rights of the Ngobe inhabitants of the region, as well as the environment in which they live. Please contact RPCV Dawn Jones if you are interested in helping with funds or media/organizational contacts. dawnamo at gmail.com Links to Action Alerts (click to activate): |
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Rachel Chertok Buena Vista, Panama Oeste 1999-2002 Rachel Chertok founded EachOne TeachOne, Inc., a non-profit organization, in 2006. EachOne TeachOne, Inc. inspires, educates and supports rural Panamanian children to become community leaders. The Educational Attainment Project provides scholarships, academic support and leadership development seminars for young people who seek to continue their public school education. The Community Education Project supports the broader community. The Community Education Center will host a modest library and computers for scholarship teams and community members. Summer preparation is offered to all interested students in the sixth through tenth grades. Check out more at www.teachone.org, or contact Rachel at chertok@teachone.org or 727-687-0090. |
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Native Future Native Future’s mission is to protect marginalized indigenous cultures and to help them conserve the ecosystems in which they live. Native Future has worked principally with the Wounaan indigenous people of Panama to gain control over their lands, their livelihoods, and their future. Current projects assist communities with land tenure, leadership and educational opportunities. |
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Chris Meyer, Andrew Parrucci Andrew Wulf Pedregoso and Santiago, Veraguas 2003-2006 You remember that scene: the sputtering motor, the whiff of lubricated gasoline, followed by a low, steady whine and masculine grunts. Most RPCVs from Panama identify it as a portent of the destruction of 1000s of hectares of old growth forest during the five month dry season. Especially if you're a former Darienita, you remember the semi-trucks plying their route to Panama City , laden with enormous virgin timber logs. It's tough to see. But, some Panama RPCVs are doing something about it. Read their innovative ideas: www.plantingempowerment.com. |
