Programs / Public Health / Communities / Platanilla «

 

About Platanilla

Platanilla is home to about  315 people and has around 84

homes. The community is located in the Darien province, in

Eastern Panama and has its own sub-health center. Most

community members work in agriculture or raising livestock,

and a few support themselves through small stores and

cantinas. Also, two trained medical doctors live in the

community. Platanilla is known for its strong community

leadership and willingness to partner with outside

organizations, like Global Brigades.

Platanilla's Public Health Situation

Platanilla is located in the Darien province, in Eastern

Panama. Platanilla has a sub-health center located in the

community. The community has a gravity aqueduct water

system, with 100% of families connected to it for $2/month.

Although the system sometimes does not function due to

broken pipes or lack of rain, it is generally reliable, especially

during the rainy season. Approximately 50% of homes in

Platanilla have cement, instead of dirt, floors. However, no

community members have in-home water filters.

 

The Public Health Solution for Platanilla

With the cooperation the Comite de Salud (Health

Committee), and the support of local families, Public

Health Brigades has constructed and plans to continue

constructing composting latrines for family homes

throughout Platanilla. One particularly valuable aspect of

Platanilla is the nearby river. From this river families can

gather sand and gravel to use in the cement and concrete

mixes for their latrines. This ensures the support and

partnership of the families, but allows them to contribute

in a low-cost manner.

 

Public Health Brigades Chapters that Worked in Platanilla
Public Health Brigades Chapter	Month	Volunteers
Vanderbilt University	March 2014	40
University of Maryland, Baltimore County	March 2014	40
University of Illinois, Chicago	March 2014	33
Brown University, Carleton College, Santa Clara University	March 2014	41
Stony Brook University	June 2014	27
University of Manchester	June 2014	20
University of California San Diego	June 2014	51
Dalhousie University	August 2014	20

 

Current Status

Last Visit: July, 2014
The July summer Global Health internship team did a serious of surveys throughout the community to ensure that the community members were maintaining their family composting latrines correctly.  The public health team was very happy to find that the vast majority of the families were using the latrines correctly!

Project Photos

 

 

 

Visit Other Programs in Platanilla

Global Brigades strives to implement a model of Holistic Development in communities through a system of collectively implementing health, economic, and education initiatives to strategically meet a community's development goals. Learn more about the other programs being implemented in Platanilla:

Business Dental Environmental Human RightsMedical    Microfinance