Where We Work / Panama / Communities / Pueblo Nuevo «

There is a primary school in Pueblo Nuevo, called Escuela Pueblo Nuevo, located at the entrance of the community.  It is a K-9 grade school with 48 students and two teachers.  One of the teachers lives in the community while the other does now.  The school is very basic, with three classrooms, a kitchen, and a cafeteria. 

A basic water system exists in the community and IDAAN, the national water and sanitation organization, administers the water.  The community does not have their own water committee, but are part of the water committe in the neighboring community of Arimae.  There are many water shortages that occur and generally, there is water only once per day.  Another issue is water pressure, which is very low.  The water is chlorinated but it is unknown how often this happens.  In terms of clean drinking water, most households do not partake in any method of filtration. 

There is no health center located within the community, but the closest one is located in Santa Fe, 20 minutes away (plus the time it takes to catch the bus) and costs $0.50 to get there.  Some of the most common illnesses are diarrhea, fever, and high blood pressure.  The community of Pueblo Nuevo has not received a medical clinic, but many community members have attended the medical clinics in the neighboring community of Arimae. In 2008, the government implemented some public health projects but details are unknown at this time.  In general, the houses in the community are made of cement blocks, penca leaves, bamboo, wood, and sometimes zinc roofing.  100% of households have stoves, 0% have hygienic latrines, and 6 houses have cement flooring. 

Within Pueblo Nuevo, the majority of community members work in agriculture, artisanry, or unskilled labor (such as masonry).  The agriculturalists plant yucca, plantains, and beans most commonly.  There is currently no access to credit within the community; for this reason, Global Brigades alongside the community members established a community bank that will open up access to credit and savings for Pueblo Nuevo. 

As agriculturalists, community members care about the environment but don't always have the knowledge to implement proper conservation efforts.  Peace Corps is implementing an environmental education curriculum to 1-6 graders in the local school, two times per week, that mostly addresses the theme of recycling.  Overall, there is little knowledge about proper waste management techniques and no environmental committee to oversee environmental projects.  Typically, community members dispose of their garbage in a nearby dump.  Although many community members earn a living through agriculture, most do not grow vegetables at a household level.

There is a great lack of legal services in the entire region. There is nobody with legal training in the community of Pueblo Nuevo.  Some of the legal needs within the community are in relation to land titles, corruption, and lack of lawyers. 

Pueblo Nuevo is part of the congreso indigena, which is the governing body of indigenous Embera-Wounan communities in eastern Panama.  Each indigenous community has a certain level of autonomy from the national Panamanian government. Within the community is a casa comunal, like a very basic community center, where meetings of the various community groups take place.  Some of the community groups organized in Pueblo Nuevo include a women's group, community board, parents' club, sports club, and various leaders.

Peace Corps

The Microfinance and Business Programs entered Pueblo nuevo in March 2014.  Currently, the community alongside Global Brigades Microfinance and Business team are establishing a caja rural (community bank).  A Business brigade in March 2014 started the process of financial literacy training and we hope to keep expanding programs into this community in the future.