Panama

About Panama

Panama (thought to mean “an abundance of fish”) is a Central American country bordered by the Pacific Ocean, the Caribbean Sea, Colombia, and Costa Rica. Panama has been a stable democracy since 1990. Prosperous and progressive, Panama has the second largest Central American economy. While Panama is known for the Panama Canal and its tropical fruit exports, tourism is becoming an important industry.

Twenty percent of Panama’s land is protected, belonging to the tribes of its indigenous people – one of the largest percentages in the world.

The unemployment rate in Panama is 7.4%, and 11% of the population lives in poverty – on less than one dollar a day.  Many of the poor are immigrants from Colombia, Venezuela, and Cuba.  These are the communities where ISL volunteers serve

The Need in Panama

Although Panama has made significant progress in expanding healthcare services through the Ministry of Health (MINSA) and the Social Security Fund (CSS), access to quality healthcare remains unequal, particularly in rural, indigenous, and hard-to-reach communities. Many residents in these areas must travel long distances to receive medical attention, and shortages of healthcare professionals, medications, and specialized services often delay diagnosis and treatment. Preventive healthcare and health education also remain limited in many underserved communities, contributing to the persistence of preventable illnesses and chronic diseases.

Organizations such as ISL play an important role by complementing existing healthcare services through medical outreach, health education, and partnerships with local healthcare providers. Volunteer medical teams can help increase access to primary care, provide screenings for chronic conditions, promote disease prevention, and strengthen community health awareness. By working alongside local institutions, ISL can help reduce healthcare disparities while supporting sustainable improvements in the health and well-being of vulnerable populations throughout Panama.

Where We Serve in Panama

ISL’s service learning volunteers in Panama seek to serve as many of the country’s poor as we can, serving in both rural, semi-rural and urban areas.

In rural and semi-rural areas, poverty is evident by the limited access to health services, constraints in transportation, and lack of economic resources.  People in these communities are often exposed to infectious diseases, even though the housing in these areas is a little better than that of the poverty stricken in urban areas.  Some, however, still live in houses made of mud. The population in rural areas is a mixture of Latino and indigenous peoples, who follow the crop harvests for work.

In urban areas, poverty is more evident and social risks to children and adults are greater, as many of them are exposed to violence, drug addiction, alcoholism, and other crimes.

Cultural Exploration

With ISL Panama, you’ll have many opportunities to experience the culture of those you serve as volunteers such as the opportunity to particiapte in cooking classes where you will learn how to make one of many famous and delicious Panamanian dishes. Another student favorite is dance classes where you will practice Salsa, Merengue, and Bachata as well as Panamanian folk dance. An excellent opportunity to learn the basics of Latin dance. Walking city tours provide you the opportunity to explore parks and architecture, from colonial times to very modern buildings. Music Workshop helps you to learn about traditional instruments, enjoy a moment to connect with music and learn how to meditate with the sounds. Local Handcraft Tours help you to learn about local handcrafts and study the materials used to make them at the craft market. Thieir may be opportunities to try on the Panamanian traditional dress called Pollera for girls and Montuno for boys. Take photos for an unforgettable memory of your visit. Another highlight is visiting a 17th century colonial period house called Casa Gongora.  Panamanian artists hold art expositions there as well. 

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Recreation

When it comes time to get out and explore, you’ll see why Panama is said to be one of the most breathtaking places on earth. One of the highlights of Panama is going to the Panama Canal Visitor Center.  The Miraflores Visitors Center (CVM) is located on the east side of the Miraflores Locks. It allows visitors to observe transiting vessels from the distance of only a few yards and to learn about the various operations of the Panama Canal, the history of its construction, its participation in the world markets, and the importance of its watershed. A great introduction to the plants and animals of Panama’s rain forests exists at the Summit Garden and Zoo which was founded by the Panama Canal Company in 1923 as a research station for the tropical flora of Panama. Through this research teak was introduced to the American continent.  Now a zoo and a botanical garden, some of the attractions are the harpy eagle, the national bird of Panama, the Suicide tree and the Cinnamon tree. Ancon Hill, at 600 feet, is the highest and most popular viewpoint in Panama City, with views over the Panama Canal, city center and Casco Viejo, the old town region.  The road up the hill, though somewhat steep, is suitable for hikers of all abilities and it is not uncommon to see sloths, armadillos, coatimundis and deer along the way. Panama Viejo (Old Panama), a World Heritage Site, contains the remaining ruins of the first Spanish city on the Pacific coast of the Americas. Founded in the 1500’s, the city was the launching point of expeditions that conquered the Inca Empire in Peru.  For 150 years it flourished as Spain exported Peruvian gold and silver to Europe via Panamá.  Plagued by fire and earthquakes, it was finally decimated in the 1600’s by the pirate Henry Morgan, who sacked the city. A visit to the museum before touring the ruins is recommended. Metropolitan Nature Park – Cieneguita Trail is one of the world’s few wilderness areas within the boundaries of a capital city.  Follow the trail as it winds through the rain forest, keeping an eye out for agoutis (large guinea pig-like burrowing rodents) and your ears perked for tamarins, tiny monkeys that sound like birds. An international team of scientists from the Smithsonian Tropical Research Institute set up the Metropolitan Nature Park – Canopy Crane in this park to study the forest canopy, where most of the rain forest species live.  Currently there are 12 cranes in the world used for this purpose, two of which are in Panama; you can ride one through a guided tour. Mi Pueblito, meaning “my little village,” is a mock village with life-sized replicas of colonial, Afro-American and indigenous dwellings, showcasing the diverse customs and traditions of Panamá–a great option for photos and a good place to buy handcrafts. Casco Viejo, the historic district of Panama City, is a World Heritage Site. Completed and settled in the 1600’s, it was built after the original Panamá City was destroyed by pirates. Cinta Costera is a bay-front area with unbeatable views is a favorite place for Panamanians and foreigners to stroll or jog along the water. Watch ships line up for passage through the Panama Canal and enjoy an impressive view of Panama City, as well. Taboga Island (Isla Taboga) is part of an island chain 12 miles south of Panama City. The largest island in this chain, Isla Taboga dots the Pacific side of the Panama Canal and boasts the closest beaches to Panama City.  Besides relaxing and enjoying the beach you can walk through its quaint and colorful town, hike to the top of El Cruce for an amazing view, go snorkeling, or take an historical tour. Amador Causeway connects three islands to the mainland near the entrance to the Panama Canal. From the causeway, there is an amazing view of Panama City and the Bridge of the Americas. Many Panamanians spend their weekends here jogging, riding a bicycle or rollerblading, and enjoying a meal in one of the many island restaurants. 
Kuna Yala is a collection of some 365 islands (one for each day of the year) where you can swim and snorkel. The islands of Kuna Yala have been formed by an accumulation of coral and are covered with palm trees and indescribable white sand beaches. You’ll love walking along the white beaches, swimming in the crystalline water, relaxing in a hammock in the shade of the palm trees, and listening to the sound of the waves and ocean breeze. A visit to the Embera Indigenous Village includes seeing a waterfall, boat ride, lunch and traditional workshop.

Recreational opportunities may have an extra cost so check with your ISL Representative when scheduling your activities to make sure that you prepare well for those expenses.

Country Coordinator

International Service Learning (ISL) is very proud of their Country Coordinators and we would like for you to get to know them, before you visit their beautiful country. All of our Country Coordinators are hardworking, passionate individuals who enjoy serving their communities and working with ISL volunteers, and they all have their own very unique stories.

Mariluz Portugal has worked for ISL for over 12 years. She was born in the Herrera Province in Panama City, moved to Penonomé, a city adjacent to Panama City (the capital of Panama), and later she lived in the capital. She lived in Penonomé for almost all of her childhood and youth. More than anything, she says that she was one of those kids who went to school every single day, including weekends and in the summer. She participated in many extracurricular activities, and even though she says she wasn’t sporty, she was very intellectual. While in high school when she was studying for her Business Diploma with an emphasis in Corporate Management. This allowed her to study Tourism, something that was interesting to her. This ended up being very important for her as it allowed her to see many places in her country and know how to show these things to people who came to visit Panama. In college, she had an opportunity to do a certain amount of internship hours, and those hours helped her to get a job. She worked in the hotel industry, as a waitress and receptionist, and in travel agencies doing tours and transfers. One of those agencies was Sunwing, a Canadian travel agency, where she worked as an airport assistant. Nowadays she works in an official University and is pursuing a postgraduate in higher teaching and with this she will be able to become a teacher at the university level. Mariluz realized what her calling was when she started college. She learned about organizing tours, the logistics that accompanied them, and everything that she needed to know in order to be able to successfully perform her vocation. At ISL, she is able to put into practice everything she learned in school. Even though the ISL teams aren’t tourists, she is able to apply the logistics and organization that she learned in college.

As the ISL Country Coordinator, she has access to the database in order for her to put together the details for the teams who are about to come to her country. She does an evaluation of all the communities in the database to see which to assign depending on the amount of volunteers and the type of program (Global Health, Dental, etc.). She makes contacts and sends notes for the health centers, schools, colleges, and community leaders. Also, she plans the budgets, the itineraries, and the staff team that will work during those dates. She keeps in contact with the team leaders and the assistants in order to keep them up to date and to share information about the organization where they will be working. What most inspires Mariluz is being able to help others while doing what she loves. Many people have the skills to do something for others but do not have the means, but ISL gives her the opportunity to do it. She says that there are families who do not have the money or the resources to take their children to a clinic and they don’t know that the program exists, but International Service Learning gives them access to health and medicine. It makes her happy and thankful to be able to help others through this kind of work and this kind of organization.

Mariluz is married and she has two children.