Sieykin, Panama

Project Leads: Natalie Craik and Corrie Thompson

Meeting Time: Wednesdays, 6-7:30 PM in ACES 2.402 (starting 9/15/10)

Among the smallest and most impoverished indigenous groups in Panama, the Naso people number approximately 3,300 and are spread across eleven communities in the Bocas del Toro region of northwest Panama. EWB-AUS has partnered with the community of Sieykin, which has a population of 400 people. This community lacks access to many basic services, including water treatment, a reliable water distribution system, sanitation infrastructure, health services, and electricity. Unsanitary conditions, coupled with consumption of non-potable water, cause the people of Sieykin to suffer from numerous health issues including respiratory illness and gastrointestinal complications such as diarrhea. The cost of treating these diseases contributes to the cycle of poverty that afflicts the region.

This project will support Naso self-sustenance through the improvement of their local infrastructure. The principal objective of our project is to reduce waterborne diseases by providing the community with clean water, sanitation, and health education. Improving the water quality will entail the installation a reliable water distribution and storage system. A health education campaign will develop the community’s understanding of disease transmission and prevention.