A health team from the North Central Jurisdiction has returned from year five serving the Ngobe Indians of remote Panama. The team has engaged in a long-term comittment with the local UM Missionary and the local Evangelical Methodist Church in David, Panama to provide medical care, a children's ministry and community based health training to local villagers.
Through donations from the home churches of team members, the group left a $7,000 gift in 2009 that has funded a latrine project. Since June, 2009, 43 latrines have been installed in remote communities with the funds paying for the materials and the village members providing the sweat equity. Trained community health workers submit requests from their communities for latrines to the Methodist community center manager, who inspects the work and appropriates the funds.
Click on title, above to link to photos of the 2010 Panama trip.