Santa Librada, Panama
Click on Programs to learn more about their work in this community
General Information
| Population* | 800 |
| Number of homes | 300 |
| Avg # of people per home | 2.7 |
| Electricity | In some parts |
| Corregimiento | Yaviza |
| District | Pinogana |
| Corresponding Health Center | Meteti |
| Distance from compounds | 1 hour |
| Road conditions | Poor |
* Population does not reflect how many patients will be seen on medical
brigades as many people from surrounding communities come seeking
Medical Brigades medical attention.
Expressed Needs and Capacities
Community leaders listed primary health care as the most pressing challenge faced by Santa Librada. They also mentioned the need for more higher education, and better law enforcement by local police officers. Santa Librada is known for its unity and determination as a community.
| Santa Librada's elementary and middle school sits right beside the Panamerican Highway, at the entrance to Santa Librada. About 120 students attend the school, which is run by 13 teachers. The school consists of six classrooms, a computer lab, and a lunch room. |
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Santa Librada's Water Committee meets every three months to monitor the community's water situation. Community members receive their water from a gravity acqueduct system that was constructed in 1996. Santa Librada struggles to access sufficient water due to poor infrastructure. For example, just one pipe provides water for the entire community. Water pressure is often lacking and it is not chlorinated. In order to purify their water before consumption, some families boil or chlorinate their water. Community members are supposed to pay 1$/month for access to water, but only 20% of families are currently paying.
Santa Librada does not have its own health center; community members instead must go to Yaviza or Canglon for care. A Health Comittee is not present in the community, nor do the community members have access to dental care. Only 3% of families in the community have hygenic latrines, and 30% have cement floors. The most common illnesses seen in Santa Librada are diarrhea, the common cold, fever, and head aches.
Most families in Santa Librada support themselves through one of the following professions: agriculture, raising cattle, chicken and pigs, transportation, private teak (hard wood) businesses. Some also work as small scale technicians. Many families raise animals for their won consumption, not just to sell. Some access to credit is available to Santa Librada through the Bank of Agriculture.
Santa Librada lacks an Environmental Committee; no waste management or recycling systems are functioning in the community. Community members dispose of their trash by burning.
A legal director oversees all legal aspects of Santa Librada; no lawyers live in the community. The main legal challenges faced in Santa Librada are domestic violence, alcoholism, and unpaid child support. Although there is no official police force in Santa Librada the SENAFRONT, or Panama's border patrol, works to maintain community safety as well.
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Pro Niños, a large children's organization in Panama, donated the elementary school's lunch room and garden in Santa Librada. Also, Comando Sur, another organization, donated the school's playground and flush-toilet bathrooms. |
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Medical/Dental Brigades currently work in Santa Librada.
Source of information: Key informant interview and 2010 government census
Date of interview: November 2013
Last updated: December 2013
Source of information: Key informant interview and 2010 government census
Date of interview: November 2013
Last updated: December 2013