Team Panama is so excited to announce the launch of our new project. We will be working with the Victoriano Lorenzo School – located near the indigenous village of Embera. Nearly half the children reside in the nearby indigenous community and others are from small surrounding farming communities.

To kick off this new partnership, the Collette Foundation is funding the renovation of their very modest cafeteria, allowing for a clean place to prepare lunch and a comfortable space for the students to eat. Currently, the children have nowhere to even eat their lunch. They eat in the classroom. They are living and learning in sub-par conditions and they truly deserve more.

We have sent funds to our partners in Panama to begin work on the school right away! So far, a new sink for the kitchen has been installed, new windows have been secured and installed, and a new stove and refrigerator have arrived. The inside plastering of the dining room is ready and the outside plastering and doors are almost ready to be done. Everything is developing and fast. The kids are so excited.

A few weeks ago, travelers on our Discover Panama tour visited the school. The children were so excited to meet the visitors. They greeted them with national sweet meats and sang them some local songs.

Travelers arrived with items in tow that they were told the children needed: pencils, paper, soap, washcloths and basic first aid supplies. It was a great experience for them too. The children gave them a true greeting to their country and truly touched their lives in a short amount of time.

Stay tuned, there will be more to come on this wonderful new endeavor.

Students learn about Panama's fragile ecosystem

I was so excited to get an email from my friend and contact at the Smithsonian Tropical Research Institute about an exciting initiative the foundation funded in Panama! It was a complete success that truly benefitted the students who had the opportunity to participate.

Students from three high schools in the port city of Colon recently completed an intensive, hands-on field course on the introduction to the methods of natural sciences research at Galeta Point Marine Lab.

The eager youngsters that hailed from schools located in poorer neighborhoods were selected based on their high grades, good recommendations from teachers and capacity for team work.

During their internship they learned about the importance of tropical ecosystems — including coral reefs, mangrove forests and sea grass beds. Besides theory of scientific research, they did intensive field work, divided by teams assigned to specific research projects in tropical marine and terrestrial ecosystems. They did night excursions and a boat trip to nearby Naranjo Grande and Payardi — islands affected by the great oil spill of 1986.

These students had never had such an opportunity. To stay at a field research station or come to grips with tropical nature. Their teachers and parents were grateful and commented on how wonderful it was to have them do positive constructive tasks at Galeta during school break, rather than playing in the streets.

In personal essays, the students described the experience as unforgettable.