Cultural Immersion & Volunteering in Panama

Morning: I would wake up, crawl out from under my mosquito net, slip on my sandals and walk outside to the kitchen. I helped my host mom wash and slice plantains to fry for delicious patacones, and then would boil some water for coffee. After eating and chatting with that morning's visitor, I would walk down to my partners' houses where we would plan the rest of our day.

Afternoon: My two partners and I would show up at the school just before lunch time. After eating with the kids, we would do fun environmental health activities with them like a community-wide trash pick-up, songs about protecting the water, or drawing pictures of their favorite plants. Then we would hang around and play soccer or tag with the kids after school. When that was all done, we would head back to my house and help my host mom cook or we would head down to the soccer field where the older kids were starting their daily after school game and join in.

Evening: I would hike back up the hill to my house and take a nice cold bucket-bath, get dressed and then help make dinner or keep my little host sisters and brother occupied while my host mom was making dinner, doing things like playing guitar, making friendship bracelets, drawing or just goofing around.

After dinner, I would do the dishes and meanwhile a few community members would congregate at our house, so when I was done I would often chat with them, or play my guitar as they requested quite often. It was really fun being a part of a family in the community and hearing them talk about funny things that happened in the past, and I could laugh with them and feel at home.

Highlights: I would have to say that the highlight of my experience was probably the first time I really felt a part of the family. I got sick within the first few days in my community, and when I was lying in bed my host mom came, brought me some soup and sat on the bed next to me, crying as she pet my head, because she didn't know how to make me feel better. From that point on, I knew that not only my host family, but entire community loved me like I had been a part of the family all along.

A few days later I asked my host mom if I could call her "mama" and she said of course, and that I was already like another daughter. Throughout my entire experience in Panama, and even still to this day, I know that I have another family that will always love me and be there for me because we shared something special. We bonded immediately, and that bond will never be broken.

What position do you hold at AMIGOS and why do you like working there?

Marta: I am one of the Regional Directors at AMIGOS. I am part of the Programs team, and I am responsible for developing and maintaining partnerships with organizations in Colombia, Peru, and Ecuador in order to co-develop programs that are valuable for youth participants from the United States as well as youth in the regions where we work.  We oversee the recruitment, selection, and training of our project staff teams, as well as overall program evaluations.

Two of the many things I love about my job is being able to build both institutional and personal relationships across the Americas, and mentoring staff teams in realizing their full potential as leaders for themselves, their projects, and their communities.

Did you volunteer abroad? If so, where and what inspired you to go?

Marta: I volunteered with AMIGOS in Costa Rica when I was 16 years old.  I participated because my neighbor came back and told me about his experience. To be honest I had no idea what I was getting myself into! I spent the first two nights crying and missing home. In the following 6 weeks I spent in Costa Rica, my maturity level sky-rocketed about 4 years.  The impact this experience had on my life is clear – not only do I work at AMIGOS full-time but I intend to pursue a career in international nonprofit leadership.

What does the future hold for AMIGOS- any exciting new programs to share?

Marta:So many exciting things to share! Where to begin?

In 2015, our Ecuador summer program focuses on training participants on the basics in entrepreneurship.  Participants apply for seed funding, develop a proposal, and then launch a microenterprise! These programs have a profound impact on how participants view themselves and their ability to impact their world.  The AMIGOS program fits into our Plan Internationals 5-year social and financial education program that forms local youth clubs that are also trained first on soft skills like self-confidence and values, and later on hard skills like financial and business planning.

Additionally, we now have Gap semester and year-long programs in Nicaragua and we were just selected by Tufts University through a highly competitive process to coordinate two international program sites in Oaxaca, Mexico and Leon, Nicaragua for the Tufts 1+4 Bridge-Year Program starting in Fall 2015. Five to seven Tufts students will be selected and placed in each program site for an academic year. It’s a novel bridge year program that will offer incoming students of all economic backgrounds the opportunity to engage in a year of full-time national or international service before beginning the traditional college experience.

How does your organization differ from other ones in the industry?

Marta:Our partnerships and 1-1 youth model.  Beyond being a key aspect of impactful programs – partnerships ARE the program.  Our partnerships open doors to experiences that would not be accessible to a foreign nonprofit, and AMIGOS provides unparalleled opportunities for meaningful collaboration and exchange in rural communities that have limited access to education and travel.

Each AMIGOS project includes local youth in trainings and leadership opportunities.  In order to be a leader, participants must identify within themselves what is inspiring, and learn how to inspire action in others. In all countries where we work we form partnerships at a high level with US embassies and National partner agency offices, as well as at a community level with host families and youth clubs in the rural communities where we work.

What is one thing you would tell any future volunteer?

Marta: When you sign up for AMIGOS, there is no way to tell what you are getting yourself into.  This is an experience that is incredibly challenging, and much more inspiring than you can imagine.  There is no way for you to be prepared enough – just take the risk, and be open for the adventure!

How do you think volunteer abroad will change over the next ten years?

Marta:I think that International Volunteer opportunities will become integrated as a standard part of anyone’s education – and be incorporated into high school and college curriculums, making them more accessible and inclusive of economically diverse populations. They will also adapt to a more connected, faster paced world in which potential volunteers are more educated, informed, and well-travelled than they have been until now.  The international aspects will change in the sense that public-private partnerships will become more important, public offices will recognize the importance of international volunteer programs and seek out funding for these opportunities.