Panama
Following from a week spent in Costa Rica, I spent two weeks with Vecinos Ministries, observing and developing their projects in the area.
Vecinos Ministries is a development organisation run by Barry and Yvette Henry, based in the town of Almirante, on the Caribbean coast of Panama. Almirante is a commercial port, the main export of which is bananas. The economy sector has shaped the local area; there are many banana plantations and much of the work force is involved in banana cultivation and transportation.
These communities are situated in the mangroves surrounding the port. We spent time in these areas, building relationships and listening to peoples’ stories in order to gain an understanding of the difficulties they face, and how these might be addressed. Barry grew up in this town, and so has a personal understanding of the difficulties people face in this area and how these can be overcome.
The work of Vecinos Ministries is based in personal relationships and building community. Using this approach, Vecinos partners with members of the community to carry out “revitalisation” projects. These are construction projects to enable people to live safer and more securely, further giving them a sense of value and community.
Education is also critical in breaking generational cycles of poverty, enabling people to access better opportunities in the future. Vecinos Ministries hold classes for young adults from the community. This not only helps students achieve better grades, but also in creating self-belief and a vision for the future.
You can find Vecinos Ministries’ website here.
Many organisations hold a “needs-based” approach to development work, which largely focuses on a lack of wealth and prioritises their own knowledge, skills and material resources in order to meet the perceived-needs of the community. Although well-intentioned, this type of strategy can be detrimental over the long-term.
In the weeks spent with Barry and Yvette I explored the value of “asset-based” thinking. This seeks to recognise the knowledge, material, natural and social resources of individuals and the community in determining what additional resources might be needed from “the outside”. It enables individuals to find value in themselves, their community, and their environment, empowering them to continue to develop into the future, rather than increasing dependence on “outside help”.
Step Forward is always looking to partner with organisations that not only seek to meet peoples’ material needs, but also invest in their personal development, always seeking to give a hand up rather than a handout. It is only through this approach that long-term, generational cycles of poverty can be truly broken.
We would like to thank Jason Bollinger at Links USA for connecting me with this project. It was incredible to witness first-hand how one builds relationships and community out of kindness and service. Our time here has highlighted to me the value of compassion in starting and building a development organisation, and the huge impact UK companies and individuals can have in the development of communities and families in Latin America.
Thank you all for your support.
