Where We Work / Panama / Communities / Villa Darien «

The community of Villa Darien has one school located in the center of the community that instructs children between the grades of Kindergarten and 6th grade.  The school consists of 98 students and 6 teachers who are divided between 6 classrooms.  Additionally, the school facilities include a kitchen, a dining area, a playground, and a computer lab.  Lunch is provided daily to the school's students through the financial support of Pro Niños de Darien.  If students wish to continue their education beyond the 6th grade, they have to travel to the school in Meteti, which is about 10 minutes away by bus.

The water system in Villa Darien is supported by the Panamanian government's water authority, IDAAN.  The water system is maintained by the community's water committee.  The system in Villa Darien is powered by a turbine which pumps the water from the source to the community's homes.  Unfortunately, there is some dispute about the cleanliness of the water; the community leaders claim that the water is purified, but parasites are frequently found in the water.  The water source is about 1.5 km away from the community's center.  The whole community is connected to this water system; each family pays $3.00 per month for this access.

The closest health care center to Villa Darien is in Meteti; similarly, the closest dental care is also located in Meteti..  The community leaders report that the most common illnesses within the community are common colds, diarrhea, and fever.  97% of the community members use pit latrines, but the community's school does have a composting latrine that was constructed by a Public Health brigade from the University of Washington and Oxford University.  90% of the community members have cement floors.

Homes in Villa Darien are constructed with cement blocks, wood, palm leaves, and zinc roofing.  The three main sources of employment in Villa Darien are farming, technical manual labor, and non-skilled manual labor.   The farmsin the area primarily produce plantains and corn; additionally, some farms have also taken up cattle ranching.  There are a few small businesses in Villa Darien: a kiosk, a cantina, a restaurant, 4 hostels, and two mechanical workshops.

The environmental education that exists within Villa Darien comes from the University of Panama branch that is located in the community.  A group that studies farming and forestation works on water projects, reforestation, and water-source contamination monthly.  The community's typical way of disposing of trash is to burn it.

The closest legal aid center to Villa Darien is in Meteti.  Additionally, there is a governmental organization in Santa Fe that can aid the community members when they need legal assistance with land titling.  The typical legal conflicts in Villa Darien involve alcoholism, divorces, unemployment, and child support. 90% of the community members have titles for the land of their homes.

There is no governmental representative of the community of Villa Darien.  The only governmental structures that exist within the community are health committee and the water committee.

Other than Global Brigades, the only other organizations that are working in Villa Darien are Pro Niños de Darien and IDAAN, the Panama government's water authority.

The community members of Villa Darien are excited to host a medical/dental brigade from UC San Diego in June 2014!