Milla 7 ½ Water Project – Panama

Location
Milla 7 ½, Province of Bocas Del Toro, Panama

Community Description
Milla 7 ½ is located 7-8 miles outside of Changuinola, the largest town in
the Province of Bocas Del Toro, along a road that runs from Changuinola to Almirante. The town is on the edge of a Humeda San Sak Park, a national park consisting of mangrove forests which extend to the ocean two miles away.

In the past, there was a train owned by Chiquita Banana that ran by the town, which is secured its name from the mile marker on the tracks.

The community is composed of 300 Ngobe Indians. The people are very poor and most of them raise cattle for income, or just simply live off the land around them, harvesting chocolate three times a year.

All of the houses are built from wood that has been harvested in the surrounding area, with roofs of either penca (palm fronds) or zinc. Houses typically measure 16 ft x18 ft, and contain from 5-13 people.

There is a high incidence of disease, with worms, giardia, and amoebas commonly found.

A future project in the community will be the construction of an aqueduct for the town center. However, there remain 3 families located on the main road that are too far from the water source, who will not be able to be served with that project.

Project Description
This project is to build 3 rainwater catchments and storage systems to provide clean water for the unserved households.

Rainwater is consistent and plentiful, so this is a logical solution to provide water for this remote group.

Two 200-gallon tanks and one 100-gallon tank will be purchased. Wooden tank stands will be built to elevate the tanks, and the proper piping will be installed

Health and hygiene education, as well as training on the use and maintenance of the tanks, will be included as part of the project.

The town members will do the work and provide the wood for the stands.

Project Impact
This project will provide clean water for 22 people.

Peace Corps Volunteer Directing Project
Myles Shuler

Comments
The project will improve the health and well-being of a segment of the population that is difficult to serve because of its location. The families are in a precarious situation, living at a subsistence level, and unable to provide for their own needs without the assistance of the funding made available by this project.

Dollar Amount of Project
$495.07

Donations Collected to Date
$495.07

Dollar Amount Needed
$0.00 – This project has been fully funded, through the generosity of Hope You Like It, “In Honor of Faith, Hope, and Love.”

We encourage others to continue to donate using the Donate button below, and we will notify Peace Corps Volunteer Myles Shuler of your donation. Additional funds will be used to fund the next project by Myles and/or those of his counterpart PCVs in Panama.




This project has been finished. To read about the conclusion of the project, CLICK HERE.