Bocas Del Toro is an island paradise especially for tourists and new residents from the North. But for some residents, namely many of the indigenous people of Panama, such as the Ngoble-Bugli and some Carribean blacks live in severe poverty.

The government of Panama does not spend a great deal on educating the children in Bocas del Toro.

OUR MISSION

The mission of the Bocas School Project is to provide support to the Bocas del Toro indigenous schools including teaching English, and in supporting the community in providing a food program, buildings, electricity, and sanitary facilities as needed to provide a safe, clean and supportive environment in which to learn. The goal of the Bocas School Project is to help the children of the indigenous communities obtain an education that will help them to find gainful employment, increase their self esteem and move out of poverty. We strive to provide support that respects the indigenous people and their culture. We include community members in planning and are moving toward a sustainable program by helping the community to fund the program through their own work. We are working to develop a model program in the Carenero and Solarte Schools that can be replicated in other indigenous schools.

To learn more about the Bocas School Project go to the Bocas Breeze article at http://www.thebocasbreeze.com/current-issue/september-2006-volume-thr.shtml

HOW CAN YOU HELP

The Bocas School Project is a "champion project" of the One World Children's Fund. If you click on "Projects" on this site you can scroll to the Bocas School Project. We depend on donations to fund our efforts for these sweet children. All donations are tax deductible and 100% of donations go to the children. There are no administrative costs and all people involved with the program are volunteers. We need more volunteers for fundraising, book drives, constuctions, teaching and more. We are looking for partners in the States such as schools and organizations and we welcome sponsors, both individuals and businesses, who can help fund this work on an ongoing basis. We hope you will consider donating or volunteering. Passing this information on to friends and family would be much appreciated.

On behalf of the children of Bocas del Toro, we thank you.